This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
So how did 343i do with Bungie's baby? Here are my thoughts... GENERAL GAMEPLAY: - The core gameplay (95% of the game) is the Halo you know and love. - There is a cool "getaway" sequence similar to the end of Halo:CE and Halo 3, but in a Ghost. - There are a few quicktime sequences that are rather underwhelming. They should have either been more polished (and fun) or turned into cutscenes.
- The flying sequences are a major letdown (more below). ENEMIES: - Grunts and Jackals remain unchanged. - Elites don't seem as tough as Reach, but they're basically the same. - Hunters seem the same, but there are very few of them. I complained about this in Reach, and it hasn't improved in Halo 4. - Sadly, there are no Brutes, Drones, or Skirmishers. Also no Flood, but I'm actually okay with that.
- The new enemies (Prometheans) are fun to fight and offer some nice, new variety.
- No Scarabs or boss battles.... boo. WEAPONS: - There are a LOT of guns. Most of the old classics are back, along with some great additions. - No dual-wielding, but most of those guns have been replaced, so you don't really miss it. - Grenades feel a bit underpowered, but not to the point of being useless. ARMOR ABILITIES: - Good mix of old and new. The much-hated Armor Lock is, of course, gone. - Running is no longer an Armor Ability and is always available, which makes sense. VEHICLES: - The Ghost, Warthog, and Scorpion all feel familiar and control smoothly. - The Banshee doesn't feel as polished as previous games, but it's passable. - MAJOR LETDOWN #1: You finally get to fly the Pelican, and she feels great, for all of 2 minutes. It goes: fly straight towards marker, take out Phantoms with extreme ease, enter building, repeat. 343i made flying the Pelican about as fun as my morning commute to work. Lamest flying sequence in a Halo game until... - MAJOR LETDOWN #2: Remember the mission in Reach that put you in a dogfight in space? Imagine the polar opposite of how awesome that was, and you have the Broadsword sequence in the final mission. The first part of this mess is basically an obstacle course where you die repeatedly until you figure it out and get the timing right. The second part involves flying around in a circle and shooting at stationary markers that you can't tell if you're doing any damage to. Eventually you figure out which angle to hit them from and this miserable sequence ends. This is officially my least favorite thing ever put in a Halo game. - The Mantis is a cool addition. The animation makes it seem rickety, but it ends up being pretty powerful. I knew they'd put a mech in Halo sooner or later... - No Falcon or Hornet... boo. VISUALS: - Amazing. This is the best Halo has ever looked. - MINOR GRIPE: The HUD is a bit difficult to read. It's a very light shade of blue, and can clash against some of the bright glowing environments (which there are a lot of). AUDIO
- The music is very good, but doesn't surpass the classic O'Donnell score. It excels during the dark, emotional moments, but lacks the grand-sounding pieces that made for "big moments" in the original trilogy. - The sound effects are terrific. Guns sound amazing (even the Beam Rifle finally!). - The voice-acting is top-notch. STORY:
- It goes in a new, interesting direction. - Dialogue is great. However, there are a few scenes between the Chief and Cortana that do feel a bit... uncomfortable. - I liked the ending, but it didn't really feel like the beginning of a new trilogy... CONCLUSION: Overall, Halo 4 is a great shooter. I liked it, but I'm not sure I loved it. It gets almost all of the big things right. The core gameplay is solid. Visuals, audio, and story are all top-notch. But the little things are what keep Halo 4 from perfection. Some suggestions for improvement next time: 1. The HUD should be crisp and easy to read. 2. Quicktime sequences should be polished, changed into cutscenes, or removed entirely. 3. Give me bigger stuff to kill. More Hunters, and maybe a Scarab or something similar. A boss battle or two wouldn't hurt. Also consider bringing back older enemy classes. 4. Bring back the Pelican, but give me a full-fledged mission! 5. If you're going to put me in space, give me a dogfight and leave out the obstacle courses.…Expand

The Master Chef returns with all new recipes and cooking supplies. I had an okay time with this game. The story was easily the worst part (but that's nothing new for Halo), but it looked great and played perfectly. The Multiplayer is very good as well, not much more to say about that. It's good. The score was a bit of a letdown and you can definitely tell this was not made by Bungie. It'sThe Master Chef returns with all new recipes and cooking supplies. I had an okay time with this game. The story was easily the worst part (but that's nothing new for Halo), but it looked great and played perfectly. The Multiplayer is very good as well, not much more to say about that. It's good. The score was a bit of a letdown and you can definitely tell this was not made by Bungie. It's lacking a certain Halo feel, which it makes up for in all new sounds for the guns (all sorts of pew-pews in this game, all sorts). Nothing revolutionary and will be quickly forgotten once Halo 5 comes out, but it's still fun.…Expand

This game is over hyped in my honest opinion. Not that its a bad game, its a solid shooter polished to a high sheen over numerous iterations since the original Halo: Combat Evolved. The problem for me is that it doesn't do anything new, fresh or innovative. Even the levels feel like they have been stripped directly from previous Halo games. Really, its just the same old Halo FPS many of usThis game is over hyped in my honest opinion. Not that its a bad game, its a solid shooter polished to a high sheen over numerous iterations since the original Halo: Combat Evolved. The problem for me is that it doesn't do anything new, fresh or innovative. Even the levels feel like they have been stripped directly from previous Halo games. Really, its just the same old Halo FPS many of us used to love, but are perhaps a bit jaded on and tired of now. The story doesn't do anything to reinvigorate the universe either. IMO some mysteries like the "who are the Forerunner?" should never have been answered. Pulling back the curtain reveals how poor the writers really are at science fiction. It really is an unnecessary addition to the universe and has thoroughly put me off the Halo universe for a lifetime. I'm not even interested in seeing a Halo movie after playing poor man Star Wars wannabe.... The levels and missions are some of the most linear and narrow of the entire Halo series, even worse than some of the horrendous railway tracks of Halo 2. There is only one level that stood out as expansive, choice driven mission, but after replaying it a second time that is actually a clever illusion and in fact you are kept on the critical path just as strictly as the first level. Add to that the inability to play the coop mode 'Spartan Ops' offline without a gold membership and the fact they only made the single player, secret terminal videos accessible via Halo Waypoint (which also requires a paid for membership - fu M$!) and unless your a Halo multiplayer PvP junky, then there isn't much to enjoy here.…Expand

I have never really felt the love for Halo that has been going around since its inception on the original Xbox. Yes it was modern but it never really gripped me. The Halo games of Bungie never really seem to have much of a plot of me and it bored me going from point A on a map, into a building to point B and then going back to point A again. It seemed lazy level design.
Halo 4 howeverI have never really felt the love for Halo that has been going around since its inception on the original Xbox. Yes it was modern but it never really gripped me. The Halo games of Bungie never really seem to have much of a plot of me and it bored me going from point A on a map, into a building to point B and then going back to point A again. It seemed lazy level design.
Halo 4 however seems to be a big step forward. 343 have made a few changes and brought in some decent new weapons and enemies and it did grip me more than other games. Gone has the annoying drop out of scope when you are shot and SOME of the jumps to checkpoints when a team mate passes into a new area. There is also very little back tracking in the main campaign.
The story of the game is still very similar and doesn't really go anywhere for me but its not completely missing like it was in Halo 3 ODST. I still think that Halo need to remove the respawn trick on COOP when you can have one person hang back and if the other dies they respawn next to their fellow. Mean that some of the difficulty is sapped from the game.
I am not much of an Online Multiplayer so I cannot give much of a review of this area but the little I did play was enjoyable enough. I think there are modes for all different abilities and the learning curve is not completely stupid like i found in the COD games.
Its worth a purchase in my opinion.…Expand

First let me get this out of the way. I don't hate Halo, I gave Halo 3 a 9 and Halo Reach an 8. The problem with this game was that it was very clearly rushed to meet BLOPS for release. The reason I say this is because it not only rips off ideas from COD and implements them poorly (Not always, mainly multiplayer) but that there are many positive aspects from the old Halo games that don'tFirst let me get this out of the way. I don't hate Halo, I gave Halo 3 a 9 and Halo Reach an 8. The problem with this game was that it was very clearly rushed to meet BLOPS for release. The reason I say this is because it not only rips off ideas from COD and implements them poorly (Not always, mainly multiplayer) but that there are many positive aspects from the old Halo games that don't appear in Halo 4. That said, the campaign was terrific. We had a much more personal adventure with Chief this time around, and to see his friendship and desperation to save Cortana as she devolves into rampancy is heartwarming. This works even better because you are constantly reminded of Cortana's rampancy throughout the narrative. Every few minutes her voice will change a little, she will have an angry outburst or blue lights will flicker around the edge of your visor. You really do want to help Cortana in ths campaign. Unfortunately, there are a couple of plotholes that bothered me, but it was never really an issue. The music was also outstanding and it has really become a trademark of the series at this point. Grass grows, the sun shines and Halo has fantastic music. The problems start with Multiplayer and Spartan Ops, which are really not as polished as they could've been. Multplayer has some balance issues. Melee doesn't work properly, DMR sniping and Ordenance (Although Ordenance does have some upsides) dis-courages map movement, and while most of the maps are good or even great maps, there are almost none at all for each game mode. In fact, the amount of maps available is tiny for each gamemode. The boltshot is OP, everyone already knows why, it is a sidearm shotgun. DMR's are still as OP as always, and there is almost no reason to use anything else as a primary weapon. As for the new Mantis it's... well... Just kinda annoying rather than an actual threat. I feel that Halo has lost some of its competitiveness while regainiing some of it at the same time (Reach did hit competitive gamers a lot harder), especially considering a skill system no longer exists but power weapons now hae to be earned rather than just. Yes you can go onto waypoint to findout, but going onto waypoint after almost every match is annoying as hell, and you're skill having no effect on your rank makes it irrelevant. As for joining mid-game, yay! But why didn't you improve it so we wouldn't enter games that are almost done? Lazy work just ripping out a feature of one game and shoehorning it in another 343. The progress system kinda sucks really. The biggest issue is it feels like a GRIND. Grinding for armour unlocks, for f***ing emblems and poses is beyond stupid. At least in Reach I generally could buy what I wanted and it didn't feel like a grind until General and onward. As for forge mode, I'm sad to say it has been butchered, and is one of the main reasons why I think this game was rushed. There are few options when compared to the last forge mode, and there is no forge world. WHY? I had no idea they could mess it up this badly. It's quite sad really. Finally there is Spartan Ops. It's... fun, but rehashing maps and just saying "Defend this, attack this"... I'd expect more for the removal of firefight, and the lack of story is disappointing considering they seem to want to do one, but never really do anything with the characters or setting. They do a bit, and they are doing more wuth each new episod they release, which is good. Overall, this game had (And still has) a ton of potential, but only really delivered in the campaign and on the Spartan OPs, which is a real shame.…Expand

This game plays very similiar to the other Halo games with its face paced combat, excessive dying, same enemies and an addition to a few knew ones. In fact, the game plays out so "the same" that it seems like the Halo series is now "the never ending story". And I think this is the disappoint that I have with the game in the underwhelming adversary that follows the same potline as theThis game plays very similiar to the other Halo games with its face paced combat, excessive dying, same enemies and an addition to a few knew ones. In fact, the game plays out so "the same" that it seems like the Halo series is now "the never ending story". And I think this is the disappoint that I have with the game in the underwhelming adversary that follows the same potline as the first three games. There is a deeper interaction with Master Chief and Cortana, however, that alone is not enough to make the game really interesting. When a game is only six hours long, you need a story to compensate the short game play. This one wasn't as bad as O.D.S.T, but not much better.…Expand

Halo 4 is a pretty big disappointment. It is not a bad game by any means. The production values are high, the graphics are fantastic and the score is amazing. Where Halo 4 falls short on is gameplay that's too familiar and multiplayer that's too different. The campaign while it has an interesting story, the gameplay is far too keen to older Halo's. While some might think that's not aHalo 4 is a pretty big disappointment. It is not a bad game by any means. The production values are high, the graphics are fantastic and the score is amazing. Where Halo 4 falls short on is gameplay that's too familiar and multiplayer that's too different. The campaign while it has an interesting story, the gameplay is far too keen to older Halo's. While some might think that's not a bad thing because this is a Halo game. That is true, but you would think 343 would've taken more risks. The multiplayer fairs worse. While I admit it is fully playable and it's quite the bit of fun. It takes way too many queues from a certain other FPS franchise. Create a class, perks and kill streaks. While they have their own Halo style to them, it's just something 343 didn't need to implement just to appeal to the mass. Spartan Ops is 343's Firefight. Which is something I wished they'd put in instead because it would've kept me playing even longer. Halo 4 is a good FPS and is worth a purchase. However, they're is just disappointment after disappointment. I think my favourite FPS franchise is finally ending.…Expand

Following the highly publicised change of developer the gaming world was rightly curious as to how one of its biggest selling franchises would fare following the departure of its creators Bungie. Despite now being developed by 343 industries however this is still, for better or worse, the same Halo we've all seen before and those that criticise the series for not really evolving since itsFollowing the highly publicised change of developer the gaming world was rightly curious as to how one of its biggest selling franchises would fare following the departure of its creators Bungie. Despite now being developed by 343 industries however this is still, for better or worse, the same Halo we've all seen before and those that criticise the series for not really evolving since its Xbox debut over a decade ago certainly make a fair point. As a result this fourth 'mainline' title is not really going to be of any interest to those that didn't like previous installments.

Having said all that Halo 4 is still undeniably a great package and certainly offers better value for money than many modern video games. The main campaign itself will last most players somewhere around the 10 hour mark depending on the difficulty setting and their level of skill and can be played either solo or with up to three other players. As with every previous game it is at its best when offering open areas in which to fight the array of enemies and their vehicles and to this day there are few better experiences in the FPS genre than when Halo gets the balance just right. For me the game forces players to spend a little too long inside long thin corridors and smaller indoor areas as in these instances the freedom to tackle the battle the way you want to is removed and it simply is not as much fun to play, hopefully this is something that can be addressed in the inevitable sequels.

On top of the campaign Halo 4 also provides a series of 'Spartan Op' missions. Each of these lasts between 15 and 30 minutes and can again be tackled either alone or in multi-player. The idea seems to have been taken from the special ops missions featured in the Call of Duty series and provide the player with various tasks such as clearing an area of enemies or destroying set objectives. Admittedly maps are reused throughout these ops but it is hard to complain when they can all be downloaded for free.
The final part of this generous package is the competitive multi-player. All the usual modes, as well as a few surprises, are present and correct and the solid gunplay still translates well. Controversially Halo 4 has again taken a page out of the Call of Duty handbook with weapons and perks now being unlocked as the player levels up. I was never a huge fan of the online multi-player in the previous installments anyway but purists will understandable be disappointed and it is certainly a shame to see yet another game attempt to imitate Activisions all conquering behemoth.

All in all then this is a safe but promising start for 343 industries and the wealth of options and modes will provide most with hour upon hour of gameplay.…Expand

Single player wise, Halo 4 fails to deliver. I always appreciated the backstory for the Halo universe, and the concept of humanity being on the edge of extinction due to war with the technologically superior Covenant. Now, you're not only fighting Covenant for some reason but also Forerunner dudes (all 3 types) because of... a prophecy? I guess? I don't know. Apparently if I had readSingle player wise, Halo 4 fails to deliver. I always appreciated the backstory for the Halo universe, and the concept of humanity being on the edge of extinction due to war with the technologically superior Covenant. Now, you're not only fighting Covenant for some reason but also Forerunner dudes (all 3 types) because of... a prophecy? I guess? I don't know. Apparently if I had read Glasslands it would have made more sense, but I'm not going to buy a book just to get the backstory for an FPS. The campaign is at times pretty, until you set foot into a Forerunner level and your eyes are burned from their sockets by the overwhelming blue/orange contrast. Fortunately single player ends fairly quickly, but not before you see Cortana become Master Chief's crazy emo girlfriend. The multiplayer manages to make up for the single player, and ironically seems to be where 343 focused most of the story. You've got the standard Halo MP fare, with a few modes that have been more fleshed out. The biggest addition is Spartan Ops, which replaces Firefight from previous titles. It's pretty decent on it's own, and plays a bit like the standalone co-op missions found in other titles like BF3, though the loss of Firefight does kind of suck. Maybe it'll be re-introduced? We can always hope. Anyway Halo 4 is a solid game if you're looking for just MP stuff, but I'm a bit worried about the direction 343 is taking the storyline.…Expand

First of all, I'd like to just say that Halo 4 is perhaps THE BEST MULTIPLAYER SHOOTER on seventh-generation consoles due to the amount of variety. The weapons, game modes, extensive stats tracking, theatre mode, forge mode, awesome matchmaking and perfect pacing. Weapons are not only varied but balanced same with vehicles. The game modes such as SWAT are about barebones skill andFirst of all, I'd like to just say that Halo 4 is perhaps THE BEST MULTIPLAYER SHOOTER on seventh-generation consoles due to the amount of variety. The weapons, game modes, extensive stats tracking, theatre mode, forge mode, awesome matchmaking and perfect pacing. Weapons are not only varied but balanced same with vehicles. The game modes such as SWAT are about barebones skill and accuracy; whilst Griffball is plain fun. 24 player deathmatches with vehicles are hectic without being broken. The class system is not overcomplicated nor does it put players at a disadvantage. Killstreaks simply provide weapon drops not automatic kills. The excitement, health system and "perks" as well as the ability to sprint are all excellent additions to the already complete multiplayer package with a solid progression system. This is as complete as multiplayer shooters get. Not only are the game mechanics and controls perfect, the "menu" stuff such as file share and custom game modes which allow you to fully change every miniscule aspect of the game from health and speed to round system, objective and weapon damage and restrictions etc. However, whilst the multiplayer is a complete and highly refined package, the campaign is hit-and-miss. There are far too many enemies without a break at many points, and despite there being a new faction as well as the Covenant, their weapons feel like bland copies of Covenant weapons but with an orange glow. Furthermore, the new enemies take way too many shots to kill and it's hard to tell when they're about to die, so playing through the first three levels felt like a boring chore rather than exciting and intense. The story was promising but felt under-developed. There was just too much action but not enough explanation the story felt tacked on even though it could have been amazing. I couldn't feel any empathy for Cortana and Master Chief because there just wasn't enough cutscenes and storytelling. Gameplay and level design are a bit cliché compared to Reach, and in some levels I thought I was playing Prey rather than Halo. Sure, there are some good levels and I'm sure die-hard Halo fans will love it, but anyone who's only got a mild or passive interest in Halo should consider Reach instead. Overall Halo 4 is a fantastic shooter and perhaps the best game in the series, but it's not a huge leap from Halo Reach in any department.…Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Bought this game expecting something great from a new developer. The campaign story was relatively good, though I don't feel as if I really gleaned much from the Halo universe by playing it. The story felt very concentrated to a very few narrow concepts and left me disappointed that it did not expand upon many different aspects of the story. It was essentially a story about Master Chief and Cortana. While this would have worked well as a backstory, it felt a little weak as the main theme throughout the game. The one outstanding aspect of the campaign was the superb graphics. It may be the best-looking game on the 360 to date.

The multiplayer, at least compared to Reach, felt somewhat neutered. A few game types have disappeared, and Big Team Battle, my favorite, is also no longer a part of the multiplayer playlist. Also, I know that lag depends largely upon individual connections, but it seems that this game can especially suffer from it when compared to previous Halo entries. Overall, if you love Halo, you will probably like this game. If you just appreciate Halo, you may find this game average among a plethora of FPS out there.…Expand

I have bought and played every halo game made. I love the franchise but to be completely honest, Halo 4 feels a little plain. The multiplayer is still well balanced but lacks any real improvement or innovation. Spartan Ops fails to really do anything except to put together short uneventful missions with amazing CGI shorts. Campaign is gorgeous visually but is really more of the same.I have bought and played every halo game made. I love the franchise but to be completely honest, Halo 4 feels a little plain. The multiplayer is still well balanced but lacks any real improvement or innovation. Spartan Ops fails to really do anything except to put together short uneventful missions with amazing CGI shorts. Campaign is gorgeous visually but is really more of the same. Though i can say the story is better than that of previous installments, Reach being my favorite still. Halo is still the game we know and love but 343 played it a little too safe.…Expand

Campaign: The campaign is a bit of a letdown, short at only 6 hours, new enemy types get boring and repetitive quickly, new weapons are essentially variants on already human/covenant weapons, lack of ammo in a lot of areas in the game which has NEVER happened to me during a Halo campaign that I would run out of ammo, enemy and friendly AI can be boneheaded quite often. Storywise its notCampaign: The campaign is a bit of a letdown, short at only 6 hours, new enemy types get boring and repetitive quickly, new weapons are essentially variants on already human/covenant weapons, lack of ammo in a lot of areas in the game which has NEVER happened to me during a Halo campaign that I would run out of ammo, enemy and friendly AI can be boneheaded quite often. Storywise its not too bad, altho I find the "emotion" they shove into it feels a bit forced and overboard, especially compared to Reach's campaign where it had a somber atmosphere without saying much.

Spartan Ops: Spartan Ops is a neat idea, only 1 episode available so far but they will be releasing more, but for a first impression it hasnt been a good one. The good thing about spartan ops is that you can level up by doing those missions and you can use your MP loadouts as well, but the strange thing about spartan ops is the complete lack of challenge it provides because of the lack of checkpoint system, when you die you respawn like War Games multiplayer, so you could die an endless amount of times and not feel punished for it, so you can get through Legendary difficult without busting your brain which in my opinion is an odd choice as you can then complete each chapter in less than 20 minutes in co-op because of this instant respawn system. Another thing about the spartan ops missions is that they are all in locations from the sp campaign and there doesnt seem to be any original settings, now there could possibly be new episodes with completely different locations but I haven't heard anything on that.

War Games: The main draw for most people is the MP and to be honest I was never a big MP guy when it came to Halo, I played some Halo 3 but the most I played was the Reach Beta which I loved because it wasnt such a chore to kill opponents but upon release they changed that and I didnt play the MP much after that discovery. Halo 4 on the other hand, has a very solid MP thats not without flaws of its own, whether you want to believe it or not its a CODified Halo, but thats not necessarily a bad thing, here Halo is faster and in a lot of ways tighter than it ever was and it can be VERY addicting but some of what they introduced can be game breaking in ways, for example the SAW is very overpowered, and they tried to balance it by not letting you start with it in a loadout, and keeping it exclusively as an ordinance drop, but put it in the right hands and you may as well admit defeat, ive killed countless people with it and have been killed by countless people using it, its an awesome gun but almost ruins the game when its used in the non-pro game modes. As well the grenade damage seems to be a finicky thing where sometimes it does what you expect but other times you can't understand why someone's shields did not drop or why they did not drop themselves. This could be contributed to lag, but without clear indication of lag its hard to determine that as the cause. As well the usual MP FPS hooplah such as campers, bunny hoppers, cheap tactics etc... that we all have to live with do make their appearances strong but its not as frequent, thus far, as ive experience in other FPS games I've played (non Halo), the maps arent too bad, I prefer close quarter combat most so the standout map for me is Haven as it keeps the action fast.

I am actually giving the game a 7.5 but I can only select 7 or 8, but because I don't feel its a full 8 thats why I'm leaving it at 7. My reasons are as follows: - Way too strong of auto-aim or aim magnetism, I mainly play on PC so I rarely experience auto aim unless I play a console shooter on my xbox or ps3 but this games auto aim is WAY too strong and gives off the feeling that I'm not in complete control of the game.
- While still on topic of controls is the lack of true customization of button mapping.
-disappointing campaign it has some high points but can be pretty boring at times, new enemies became repetitive and lacked variety, new weapons are pretty much not needed as they are more or less counterparts to human/covenant weaponry, the story's forced emotion and some questionable characters who for whatever reason don't listen to the Master Chief when he saved humanity was cliche and non sensical.
- Believe or not.... but the lack of Firefight to me leaves a big gaping hole in the game, i didn't think i would miss it after playing it to death on ODST and REACH but spartan ops just doesnt feel like a good replacement for one of the funnest game modes I've ever played
- Speaking of spartan ops, essentially the lack of challenge, lack of variety (thus far) in mission structure and levels is disappointing and makes it feel tacked on despite the "weekly chapters" that will follow the launch of the game. The lack of punishment for dying especially for harder modes when it comes to respawn really makes it seem useless. Hopefully I'm proved wrong on this account and that more interesting levels will follow.…Expand

This game is good. The only problem is that it feels more like Halo: Reach 2 than a sequel to Halo 3. There are not many maps to play on, and every always chooses the same ones every match. The campaign is interesting and fun, and worth playing through a second time with your friends. Maybe once some DLC comes out the multiplayer will be more fun. The spartan ops is a welcome addition, butThis game is good. The only problem is that it feels more like Halo: Reach 2 than a sequel to Halo 3. There are not many maps to play on, and every always chooses the same ones every match. The campaign is interesting and fun, and worth playing through a second time with your friends. Maybe once some DLC comes out the multiplayer will be more fun. The spartan ops is a welcome addition, but everybody still misses firefight. Overall, a good game.…Expand

I am a big Halo fan i have bought and enjoyed all of them that all had good story's and gameplay. When i got Halo 4 i was glad to see the series back to its roots with talk of the forerunners and the halo's, the campaign took me around 6-7 hours on Normal difficulty and it was really good it was a halo game as they where before though the ending is anti-climactic. You will go to manyI am a big Halo fan i have bought and enjoyed all of them that all had good story's and gameplay. When i got Halo 4 i was glad to see the series back to its roots with talk of the forerunners and the halo's, the campaign took me around 6-7 hours on Normal difficulty and it was really good it was a halo game as they where before though the ending is anti-climactic. You will go to many different locations and fight some new enemy's with new weapons, even some older guns return with upgrades, The game look grate the sound it good so if your a graphics makes the game person you will be pleased. After finishing the campaign i when online and that's where my problem came into it. Unlike previous Halo games this time they made a big change, gone are the on map weapon you needed find, this time its a class baced multiplayer. once you get to a certain level you make a class slimier to another hit FPS that comes out this time of the year. it takes a lot of its elements form the OTHER FPS and makes it feel not halo, the maps are good but with the unevenness of the classes i feel like its a drag to unlock all the weapons that the game should have at the beginning. but with that aside the co-op campaign is really good i had tons of fun playing them and with more on the way it keeps the fun for a while. So with the good story and co-op it makes the game wort a buy for a fan or just a rent for others who are interested, as i said i am a big halo fan but this installment didn't grip me much, its a good go for the new developers (343 Industry's) but ill like to see what that do for there next installment.…Expand

With 343 industries taking over the development of the Halo franchise from bungie I have to admit I had my doubts about the future of the halo franchise and the idea of bringing the master chief back after the ending of halo 3, and I have to say that my doubts we're cast aside as 343 have been true to the franchise and developed a game worthy of the halo name, the campaign is short ifWith 343 industries taking over the development of the Halo franchise from bungie I have to admit I had my doubts about the future of the halo franchise and the idea of bringing the master chief back after the ending of halo 3, and I have to say that my doubts we're cast aside as 343 have been true to the franchise and developed a game worthy of the halo name, the campaign is short if you play it on the easy or normal difficulty but if you got to the heroic or legendary difficulty it can prove to be very channel ging for even some of the best gamers if you try yo do it solo, the graphic are a vast improvement on reach with a lot of work going it to designing the gaming environments and multiplayer maps as well as the amazing cut scenes that go between the campaign missions, the story is a lot different from what people come to expect of the halo franchise and goes for a more personal story between the master chief and cortanna his AI companion who has been with him throughout the halo games to me this is an interesting direction to take the game as it try's to show the chief has a human side to him than just a soilder of war as we have seen in previous halo's, the sound has been improved as well and the guns all sound authentic and unique in their own style, the multiplayer has been improved with the introduction of spartan ops, the episodic co-op campaign which is expand with continuous episodes down loades from Xbox live tho I'm kind of disappointed firefight wasn't kept in there as well, I have to admit you can see where halo has taken some of its influence from the call of duty series but this isn't a bad thing really as they have made the game more accessible to a wider audience with custom load outs, their rank system is very similar to cod, and the ordinance drops are like call of duty killstreaks but these help to improve make the multiplayer better and balance the game out better as there are no longer people camping waiting for a power weapon like the rocket launcher or or that to spawn as it now comes in an ordinance drop. In my opinion 343 have kept halo 4 true to what the halo franchise is but have tried and succeeded in making it accessible to a wider audience.…Expand

So, the sixth Halo game. I've been through Halo 1-3, ODST, and Reach. I've done my tours of duty with the UNSC, from the low-end low-budget beginning through the slick and polished latest. But this is different; Bungie has slipped its reins off the Halo horse, and MGS has taken over. How did they do? Very well, better than I expected. Let's take a look. Graphics are outstanding, withSo, the sixth Halo game. I've been through Halo 1-3, ODST, and Reach. I've done my tours of duty with the UNSC, from the low-end low-budget beginning through the slick and polished latest. But this is different; Bungie has slipped its reins off the Halo horse, and MGS has taken over. How did they do? Very well, better than I expected. Let's take a look. Graphics are outstanding, with well-built levels that benefit from good artwork. Enemies (and allies) are correspondingly high-res, meaning that even on console, you won't have your immersion in the game wrecked by something on-camera that looks like a digital camera threw up on screen (we've all seen that...are you listening, Jurassic Park?). Weapon design has undergone a major overhaul, and one for the positive. I've previously had an intense dislike for non-human weapons in Halo, but this installment is different; Forerunner weapons are pretty sweet. Gameplay is well above average. Two missteps mar the game, though. First, the campaign is short. As in "we got it done on Legendary in six hours" short. Second, the storytelling, while not bad, is much thinner than previous Halo games. It's clear that Microsoft Game Studios wasn't as interested in telling an epic story as their predecessors. Even so, it's an enjoyable game that really is a must-play for Halo fans. Everybody else, it's a good shooter with challenge and finesse...just not a lot of single-player mileage in the tank. A fair 7 to Halo 4, and a "good job" to the folks at MGS responsible for it.…Expand

I don't have live and this game, like so many FPS' these days was made more for the online player. The campaign was brutally short and not all that replayable. However, it was fun while it lasted. It was also quite polished, but that isn't enough to carry it on its own. Most people will give it horrible reviews just because they want to feel like they're keeping the Halo franchise back, asI don't have live and this game, like so many FPS' these days was made more for the online player. The campaign was brutally short and not all that replayable. However, it was fun while it lasted. It was also quite polished, but that isn't enough to carry it on its own. Most people will give it horrible reviews just because they want to feel like they're keeping the Halo franchise back, as they felt it should have ended with Halo 3. Although I agree the series should have stayed finished, 343 did a good enough job.…Expand

It had a lot to live up to didn't it? I loved Halo:Reach and I give it a 10. I am giving Halo 4 a 9 and here's why:

Campaign: The campaign in reach was its weakest feature but it is one of the strongest in Halo 4. 4's campaign is more imaginative, longer and is much more fun to play. The Campaign is up to the CE's standard and will not disapoint fans. 10/10
Spartan-Ops: I willIt had a lot to live up to didn't it? I loved Halo:Reach and I give it a 10. I am giving Halo 4 a 9 and here's why:

Campaign: The campaign in reach was its weakest feature but it is one of the strongest in Halo 4. 4's campaign is more imaginative, longer and is much more fun to play. The Campaign is up to the CE's standard and will not disapoint fans. 10/10

Spartan-Ops: I will overlook the fact that it is a rip off from COD. S-O replaced firefight which really annoyed me because firefight was fun. S-O is not as bad as I thought it would be because it ties in with the campaign and the missions are short. The only issue is that you re-spawn, no checkpoints etc.. This makes S-O slightly pointless, however I would not get rid of S-O, I would just bring back firefight as well. 9/10

Multiplayer: 343 said that there were going to be changes and they were right., However, almost every change has made it worse. On reach less was more. 343 have thrown that out of the window and created gameplay that is too fast and frankly just boring and repetitive. On reach it felt like every game had a story and every game game slowly developed, where as now games are boring and too fast. There have been too many new features and too many classic features have been removed. 6/10

Forge and Custom Games - There are three forge world's - great idea. However none of them are big enough! This also means that custom games is not as fun. Also where did the race game type go? I have given it a 7 because these are still unique parts of halo and forge is really good. There's just not enough space.
7/10

Other features and website: Waypoint is still good, the armour is as good as reach's, the commendations have improved the theater and file share are still good. The new website isn't as good as bungie.net though. 9/10

Overall halo 4 retains many features that make halo amazing and also the campaign is second to none. Unfortunately 342 have included too many new things which have ruined parts of the game.
All of my scores added together and divided by 5 equal 8 but this game deserves a 9 because it is still an amazing game. There are just too many annoying features that detract from the beauty of halo.…Expand

This is a tough game to review because there are so many different elements to it so it really depends on perspective and priority. I'll explain. There are essentially three parts of the game, the campaign, the Spartan Ops, and the multiplayer. If I were to great them separately, I would have to give the campaign an 8, the Spartan Ops a 4, and the multiplayer a 5. The Campaign has greatThis is a tough game to review because there are so many different elements to it so it really depends on perspective and priority. I'll explain. There are essentially three parts of the game, the campaign, the Spartan Ops, and the multiplayer. If I were to great them separately, I would have to give the campaign an 8, the Spartan Ops a 4, and the multiplayer a 5. The Campaign has great plot and character development, which I love. The dynamic between Chief and Cortana is fascinating and is what moves the story along. However, it's ridiculously short, the gameplay is very fluid but repetitive and full of busy work, the enemy weaponry is scaled horribly, the AI is pathetic, and the ending is anti-climactic. The Spartan Ops has absolutely no story whatsoever and isn't at all what 343 made it sound like. As for the multiplayer, 343 ruined this experience. They essentially copied CoD in every way they could, which is also something they did with the ending of the campaign. All of that being said, I am more of a single player gamer so I can't judge each element of the game equally. The campaign takes priority.…Expand

I don't know, I feel like a lot of the negative reviews of this game are from the "hardcore" or "true" gamer crowd. I consider myself hardcore, and I like this game for the multiplayer, the singleplayer is alright. My gripes are that the multiplayer does feel a little strange compared to old games and, as a few have said, grenades don't seem to matter as much. The combat felt slightlyI don't know, I feel like a lot of the negative reviews of this game are from the "hardcore" or "true" gamer crowd. I consider myself hardcore, and I like this game for the multiplayer, the singleplayer is alright. My gripes are that the multiplayer does feel a little strange compared to old games and, as a few have said, grenades don't seem to matter as much. The combat felt slightly slower than previous entries in the series, but its not bad by any means. I think you should take all reviews as someone else's opinion for this reason, alot of the negative reviews probably went in expecting the game to suck and they only remembered it sucking. They want to seem popular and talk about how games have sold out without realizing that these companies do in fact want your money. This isn't some family fun time and realistically they don't owe you anything, so if you wanna be popular with the gaming hipsters who pretend to be hardcore, bad talk the game before you try it, and then remember the time you jumped off the cliff in game, not the gorgeous visuals.…Expand

Halo 4 is a very good shoot 'em up, but is lower than the other Halo Xbox 360 (maybe better than ODST) The story mode could be better, the online mode is not bad, perhaps the use of scores is a point negative. Moreover, it is a good game.

While every other game in the series is saving with world with some character secondary story, the campaign in Halo 4 is flipped. Saving the world seems to take a back seat to the Master Chief's quest to solve Cortana's rampancy. This makes for a more emotional story, but a less intense one as well. The saving the world story which I will not spoil doesn't seem to be given the attentionWhile every other game in the series is saving with world with some character secondary story, the campaign in Halo 4 is flipped. Saving the world seems to take a back seat to the Master Chief's quest to solve Cortana's rampancy. This makes for a more emotional story, but a less intense one as well. The saving the world story which I will not spoil doesn't seem to be given the attention it deserves. This is easily the most amped up storyline Halo series has seen, what with numerous leading up books and movies, yet the story in the game itself doesn't feel alive and fleshed out.

That is my largest complaint in a game that I like very much. The music is incredible, the environments are beautifully detailed, and the facial CG is beyond incredible. I cannot wait to play more Infinity so that I can write a follow-up to this review.

My final complaint is the complete stripped down content you get if you are not online. Never have I been so disappointed with offline content. It was an inevitability that the days of offline gaming were coming to an end, but I never imagined not even having access to a campaign scoring system, the elimination of offline firefight, just stripped down. Were it not for the lack of offline content, this game would have been a 9 for me. The lack of out-of-box value, however, has shown that 343 has largely abandoned the offline gamer, and considering that Reach, ODST, and Halo3 had plenty to keep one occupied unconnected, this step back has tarnished my view of this series;

Overall not a bad game; I enjoyed the campaign but agree with those who feel it was too short. My first play-thru was heroic and I finished in under 5 hours. Graphics were improved; I wasn't crazy about the music. I like Spartan Ops, and if 343 continues to release new missions for an extended period of time, gamers will likely not feel so shafted over the minimal campaign content.Overall not a bad game; I enjoyed the campaign but agree with those who feel it was too short. My first play-thru was heroic and I finished in under 5 hours. Graphics were improved; I wasn't crazy about the music. I like Spartan Ops, and if 343 continues to release new missions for an extended period of time, gamers will likely not feel so shafted over the minimal campaign content. Multiplayer was fun, but I love grenades, and well, lets just say I could kill more spartans with a single fart than with 50 halo 4 grenades. Overall not a bad game, but something is missing. Something is missing from this halo, that makes it, well, less halo-ish.…Expand

PROS:
- Good graphics in general. Old armor and weapon designs have been revamped, some nice environment set pieces.
- The Halo gameplay we know and love is back, with a few tweaks here and there.
- Multiplayer is fun, with some nice updates to familiar modes.
- Good sound effects.
- Some very impressive cutscenes.
CONS:
-The gameplay is Halo by the numbers. Not much in the way ofPROS:
- Good graphics in general. Old armor and weapon designs have been revamped, some nice environment set pieces.
- The Halo gameplay we know and love is back, with a few tweaks here and there.
- Multiplayer is fun, with some nice updates to familiar modes.
- Good sound effects.
- Some very impressive cutscenes.

CONS:
-The gameplay is Halo by the numbers. Not much in the way of innovation or brand new features, just the same old package wrapped in a shinier skin.
- Bland missions, mostly consisting of Chief running back and forth doing various menial tasks. Not much in the way of pacing.
- Art direction is typical sci-fi flair, nothing we haven't seen before. The forerunner planet didn't strike any awe or sense of exploration in me, which was disappointing.
- There is alot of unexplained backstory. The game throws you right into it. Which is fine for Halo diehards, but completely unforgiving to newcomers.
- There's an admirable attempt to humanize Master Chief and make him a more serious character. Nice try, but the character is little more than a walking tank that shoots aliens. Always has been, always will be. They pretty much wrote him into a corner by throwing a helmet over his face. - The character of Cortana annoys me to no end. The generic "sexy" voice that grated on me in the previous games is now front and center. She simply won't shut up. If you're going to use her so prominently, ditch this voice actress and hire someone whose voice has a little more character and imperfection.
- Forgettable musical score. It's amazing how much O'Donnell's work added to the old games, and his presence is sorely missed here.

SUMMARY:
A by the books Halo wrapped in a shinier package. This series is in dire need of evolution or it will become another Call of Duty.…Expand

I am here to tell the truth about halo 4 and that it is not a 9 or a 10, BUT it is not a 4 or a 5. It is a 7.5 and NOT GOTY. It is good game but a disappointment.for all the hype and all the reviews saying its the best game ever, most of it is lies but it is a improvement on Halo 3 and Reach. There is no middle ground in the war of fanboys vs haters I could not find a honest review aboutI am here to tell the truth about halo 4 and that it is not a 9 or a 10, BUT it is not a 4 or a 5. It is a 7.5 and NOT GOTY. It is good game but a disappointment.for all the hype and all the reviews saying its the best game ever, most of it is lies but it is a improvement on Halo 3 and Reach. There is no middle ground in the war of fanboys vs haters I could not find a honest review about (from Machinima with it 10/10 to Quarter to Three with it 2/10) so here's my honest about the game. It is a good game don't get me wrong but it a short 4 to 5 hours campaign with a interesting story but its kinda boring and cliche at times and is full of repetitive tasks like push these three buttons over and over again. 343 had added some emotions to master chief to give him more of a human role. The most disappointing part of the game is that there is only three new enemys,a dog robot,a new alien cyborg, and a UAV thing. I would like to have seen more types of enemy but nope. The multiplayer is fun, better the Reach and halo 3. it has killstreaks, Perks and Loadouts but that's where the similarities to Call of duty stop so the halo fanboy and Call of duty fanboys can stop fight. the has co op in campaign and a new mode which replaces firefight (why do that?) called spartan ops (OK one more Call of duty similarity), The graphics are great, amazing for a xbox. so in all it a good game which i recommend for a fun, great multiplayer and ok story but it is overhyped. i like the halo series i think the young fanbase may annoy you but thank you 343 for the mute all button.…Expand

I was skeptical about this game. I have been a long-time Halo fan, since the start. I loved the original, Combat Evolved, and Halo 2 is what has made me an XBOX Live subscriber since the beginning. After Halo 3, ODST, and Reach, I was ready to abandon the franchise. 343, built for the Halo series, replaced Bungie and promised a return to the "epicness" of Halo: CE, with some realI was skeptical about this game. I have been a long-time Halo fan, since the start. I loved the original, Combat Evolved, and Halo 2 is what has made me an XBOX Live subscriber since the beginning. After Halo 3, ODST, and Reach, I was ready to abandon the franchise. 343, built for the Halo series, replaced Bungie and promised a return to the "epicness" of Halo: CE, with some real game-changing innovations. Bravo 343. The campaign suffers from weak story narration (it is tough picking up on the Forerunner backstory and the introduction of the main antagonist), but great character narration (your typical Master Chief-Cortana narration, with extra emotion). I had to (more like wanted to) spend a whole day on the Halo wiki to learn about the deep mythology that was ignored by Bungie. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but it was eye-opening as well. The terminals throughout the campaign also unlock videos on Halo Waypoint that give some much needed Forerunner backstory. The graphics have gone miles since the awful graphics of the past games. Animations are greatly improved. The missions are a great mix of that world-discovery from Halo: CE where you are just in awe of what you see, and fast paced combat scenarios with multiple possible solutions and not just your classic run-and-gun boredom. The multiplayer is great. The inclusion of custom loadouts was very smooth, and not like CoD (what I feared). The loadout weapons/abilities are all very balanced, as are vehicles (except the Mantes). Certain asymmetrical maps have balance issues if played with symmetrical gametypes (duh, except Matchmaking hosts those all the time). The only real problem is the highly overpowering Mantes (singular is Mantis). They can take out any vehicle, survive multiple hits from power weapons, and kill foot soldiers from nearly any range. Also, the Oddball game is awesome. You can now toss the ball strategically (to occupy enemies so they cannot use their guns, or to hand it over to teammates so you can fight off the enemies). Halo 4 is the Halo that Halo fans have been dying for, while appealing to all shooter fans.…Expand

So after many spin-offs on Halo we finally got a 4th. Now the graphics are alot more impressive than the other Halos but the gameplay has not changed and the storyline I mean why did a fourth one have to come out so now we have a Quadrilogy and then probably a 5th and a 6th and a 7th, but in the end I will say that Halo 4 is the best Halo since Halo 3 and probably the best FPS game of the year.

Firstly, can I recommend that you ignore the silly reviewers giving this game 10's and 0's? Halo 4 is deserving of neither score. Like every Halo game to date, Halo 4 is a satisfying (if familiar) FPS that makes no attempt to reinvent the genre. This time around, there is a much stronger emotional edge to the story than we have seen previously in the series with Cortana's relationship withFirstly, can I recommend that you ignore the silly reviewers giving this game 10's and 0's? Halo 4 is deserving of neither score. Like every Halo game to date, Halo 4 is a satisfying (if familiar) FPS that makes no attempt to reinvent the genre. This time around, there is a much stronger emotional edge to the story than we have seen previously in the series with Cortana's relationship with the Chief being central to the plot. The gameplay has not changed, the new enemies are slightly frustrating to fight and the multiplayer is the standard Halo experience. So in other words, 343 have not "tried to fix what isn't broken". Keep that in mind when picking this game up and you will not be disappointed.…Expand

Halo 4 is just another Halo out there, not much has changed from any of the others apart from updated graphics. I’m quite disappointed with 343 industries they need to step up and make it better game play. Not just updating the graphics then throwing it out there into the market, they need to make something original to draw us back into playing Halo. Don’t get me wrong I think that Halo 4Halo 4 is just another Halo out there, not much has changed from any of the others apart from updated graphics. I’m quite disappointed with 343 industries they need to step up and make it better game play. Not just updating the graphics then throwing it out there into the market, they need to make something original to draw us back into playing Halo. Don’t get me wrong I think that Halo 4 is okay to play but it is certainly nothing special in the gaming industry. I rember playing the old classic Halo and not alot has changed looking back to it. Halo 4 would be for people in their teenage lives such as people at college and universities. I would like it if 343 industries would make more new content into the game which will bring over the serious gamers from Call of duty and other well known games. So that more people will play it and so that I could have a challenge on there! I would rate the game of around 6.5 out of 10.…Expand

i dont know how to explain this but, i am a big halo fan, no doubt, and when bungie left and gave the franchise to 343 industries i had mixed feelings. could they do better than bungie? well they didnt ruin the franchise thats for sure! the campaign is pretty short which kind of disappointed me, and the story does have some plot holes but the story its self at the end is pretty cool.i dont know how to explain this but, i am a big halo fan, no doubt, and when bungie left and gave the franchise to 343 industries i had mixed feelings. could they do better than bungie? well they didnt ruin the franchise thats for sure! the campaign is pretty short which kind of disappointed me, and the story does have some plot holes but the story its self at the end is pretty cool. apparently this is a start of a new trilogy but i dont see how they can continue from where it ended. another thing in the campaign is the new enemies. THEY ARE ANNOYING! they will piss you off like no other enemy in the franchise. if found the flood annoying. wait till you try this on legendary!

multiplayer has had a change too, its a bit more like call of duty and battlefield with the custom classes and the sprinting. but it still does feel like halo and fans will be sort of like home, maybe a but more to their neighbors home. the annoying thing i found so far in the multiplayer is that when your playing online, the same maps keep coming over and over again. i find that there are not enough maps that come with the game, but if you want to spend a couple extra bucks, dlc maps are coming. over all i had a pleasant time playing the campaign and the multiplayer. i still have some mixed feelings cause it does and doesnt feel like a halo game. but thats just my opinion. halo ce is and so far has always been the definitive halo game in my opinion.…Expand

I was not fully convinced, perhaps an integration with kinect would have given the series that something new and appealing, perhaps influenced a little of the time it begins to be felt, however, remains a masterpiece.

I was sort of bummed out by this game, maybe because my expectiations were too high. I mean, it is not bad in any way, but it is far from extraordinary. It looks amazing, the story is refreshingly different, the voice acting is top of the class: it is definetly Halo (SP campaign is not exactly long, tho).

Where it fails for me is multiplayer; the heart and soul of Halo. First off, whatI was sort of bummed out by this game, maybe because my expectiations were too high. I mean, it is not bad in any way, but it is far from extraordinary. It looks amazing, the story is refreshingly different, the voice acting is top of the class: it is definetly Halo (SP campaign is not exactly long, tho).

Where it fails for me is multiplayer; the heart and soul of Halo. First off, what happened to invasion? I loved that mode in Reach :( Slayer mode is fun as always, but the level design feels a bit off on some maps. The minimap colors isn't good enough either. All in all, I'm somewhat disappointed, but I should mention my expectations were sky high.…Expand

I'm a fan of the halo series loved it to bits, however i feel that halo 4 is trying to be like cod there is nothing wrong with this but i loved halo because it was something different, something fun and engaging when you wanted to get away from cod. Visually its amazing, however its not as immersive as the other games in the halo series. I find the game play stale. there is a lack of mapsI'm a fan of the halo series loved it to bits, however i feel that halo 4 is trying to be like cod there is nothing wrong with this but i loved halo because it was something different, something fun and engaging when you wanted to get away from cod. Visually its amazing, however its not as immersive as the other games in the halo series. I find the game play stale. there is a lack of maps and game variety that the other games had the same maps get played over and over. For all these reasons i give halo 4 a 6.8 / 10.…Expand

I have been playing Halo since the original, but this is no longer Halo. The campaign is incredible, I will give it that. However, the multiplayer is somewhat disappointing. Instead of Halo staying true to its roots, it copies Call of Duty elements that completely ruin the game. It copies the killstreaks, custom classes, etc. Instead of creating a unique and original experience, it simplyI have been playing Halo since the original, but this is no longer Halo. The campaign is incredible, I will give it that. However, the multiplayer is somewhat disappointing. Instead of Halo staying true to its roots, it copies Call of Duty elements that completely ruin the game. It copies the killstreaks, custom classes, etc. Instead of creating a unique and original experience, it simply feels like a confusing mixture of gameplay ideas that does not belong with the series. Not only that, but also it is unbalanced with armor abilities such as Promethean vision(allows player to see through walls) that hinder the experience. However, the multiplayer isn't bad, but it may disappoint long Halo fans who enjoyed the balance of the game. So if you're looking for a great campaign and are willing to take a risk on the multiplayer, you should definitely buy the game.…Expand

I had fun playing this game but it is nothing amazing. It's Halo, a fun shooter with nice looking environments and flashy colourful explosions but it's also slow and monotonous at times. If you're expecting something completely different you're going to be disappointed, it's the same old game really but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Fun with friends and an online multiplayer withI had fun playing this game but it is nothing amazing. It's Halo, a fun shooter with nice looking environments and flashy colourful explosions but it's also slow and monotonous at times. If you're expecting something completely different you're going to be disappointed, it's the same old game really but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Fun with friends and an online multiplayer with multiple game modes make this playable after the campaign is finished. If you didn't like the original games then this won't entice you in and older fans should find some entertainment from it.…Expand

Wow...is all I can say. 343 did a freaking fantastic job on this game. Goodbye bungie hello beautiful. The campaign was a riot. I had a lot of fun with the chief and that half naked robo-babe. The story was short but it includes spartan ops which is a fine addition to the game. Then there's the meat and bones of the game. The multiplayer is truly awesome. I tried getting into 3, odst, andWow...is all I can say. 343 did a freaking fantastic job on this game. Goodbye bungie hello beautiful. The campaign was a riot. I had a lot of fun with the chief and that half naked robo-babe. The story was short but it includes spartan ops which is a fine addition to the game. Then there's the meat and bones of the game. The multiplayer is truly awesome. I tried getting into 3, odst, and reach and they just didn't do it for me. They were great games but the multiplayer was made to cater to basement dwellers. This game I have jumped right in and have totally destroyed all. There's nothing better than hearing a hardcore teen scream in the mic how sucky the game is cause the battle rifle isn't the all end. It feels like 343 did the multiplayer right weapon wise. It seems all the guns have their own uses for different situations but the dmr and br are truly the killers. Whatever 343 did to stop the stupid bunny hopping players gets true nods from me. I love seeing someone jump all around to only get destroyed by me now. In the past if you bunny hopped, it seemed king. But no more. Anyways if your looking to get a truly awesome multiplayer game for the 360, then put your trust in 343. They eclipsed bungie. It's been a long while since I liked a halo multiplayer and I don't see me walking away from this one. I don't even think the new call of duty will get me away from this unless activistion does something truly great with black ops 2. But most likely it will all be nothing but hiding in buildings the whole game cause the sky is littered with helicopters, bombers, etc.…Expand

I think out of all the Halo titles, this "Almost" falls as bad as Reach was. The biggest mistake developers of video games make is trying to add in new things that NOBODY (that loves halo) wanted in the game in the first place. You start with a single game that everyone loves, add in improvements and separate features (such as forge, skulls) in. But when you start to add in new things thatI think out of all the Halo titles, this "Almost" falls as bad as Reach was. The biggest mistake developers of video games make is trying to add in new things that NOBODY (that loves halo) wanted in the game in the first place. You start with a single game that everyone loves, add in improvements and separate features (such as forge, skulls) in. But when you start to add in new things that were NEVER asked for, well than you are going to have a bad time! Spartan Ops was literally a disappointment. It could be a big time waster for new players, but lack the freshness of diversity compared to the campaign. It was literally just firefight but with an ending and location movement, but you can't change what enemies there are and the play-style like firefight. You just spawn, leaving out the challenge of beating it with ease and its just plain crap for people who actually try not to get any deaths, not that it even matters anymore.

Graphics are amazing, very rarely do I see any graphic clippings, and that was ONLY in the cutscenes in campaign. The lighting is amazing. But the generating lighting feature in Forge is so annoying I wish you had the option of turning it off!

Multiplier is fast paced and I like it. But when you get over the fact of graphics, lighting, and features in-game, it starts to turn into **** Ordinance was the worst feature of all. Some players got rockets and shotguns, while unlucky players received mere needlers that need to be fired directly for a long time before getting a kill. Weapon balancing is a HUGE issue in this game! DMR is a 4 head-shot kill while the rest of the weapons take 6-10 shots. ALL of the forerunner weapons are **** like the Boltshot which is like a charged up shotgun capable of overtaking a primary weapon at close-mid range any day.

Forge was amazing. The new interface made it 10x as easy and faster to build new structures. Needless to say, anybody can take the time now to create anything they want.

The menu/lobby is to unorganized and clunky. It takes time to find other players and counting how many players takes effort. You can't find your buddy as easily as the ones in Halo Reach or 3. '

The idea of prestiging in Halo just wants to make me burn down 343 for ALL of this **** they are copying from COD. I'm so disappointed how desperate they are to getting COD players to join in, they don't even care about the loyal fans out there whole love the HALO mechanics over COD and just makes everything less fun for everyone and makes everyone mad.

The campaign was repetitive and boring like Gears of War 3. All you did was go somewhere, kill the enemies and move on. Just so many fillers that needed to be fixed.

The armors in H4 were impressive looking but the idea of letting people unlock them and giving them out for free makes wearing those armors feel like you didn't even worked for it. No matter how cool that armor looks it just feels like you didn't earn it and that everyone has it. Id personally would of liked it if they did the opposite with spartan points to the load outs and put it on armor instead.…Expand

If I have never played Halo before I would give this game a 9 or even 10/10. However since I am a longtime halo fan and now that I've reached rank SR-41 I can say that the multiplayer is pretty disappointing. The campaign is well deserving of a 9/10, spartan ops is trash online and threatre only works for multiplayer currently. So a 7/10 is pretty generous. The multiplayer does matter moreIf I have never played Halo before I would give this game a 9 or even 10/10. However since I am a longtime halo fan and now that I've reached rank SR-41 I can say that the multiplayer is pretty disappointing. The campaign is well deserving of a 9/10, spartan ops is trash online and threatre only works for multiplayer currently. So a 7/10 is pretty generous. The multiplayer does matter more than campaign to me because it's the multiplayer that I will invest most time into and get my moneys worth. The multiplayer is does not have separated social and ranked playlists. This means that people who try so hard with a coordinated team to kick your ass are going to be matched up with people who are for the most part screwing around. Halo 3 had the most lasting appeal because it separated these types of players. In halo 4 you are matched by skill and rank. So when I started to get higher rank, games got more and more frustrating. Every time I get in a gunfight now I have to perform a song and dance just to get out alive and wipe the sweat off my balls from trying so damn hard, but I can't actually have time to wipe off my balls because this game has instant respawn. So unlike the Halo 3 social playlist, almost every single game in Halo 4 is stressful as **** I rarely have close games usually I get **** taken onto me. I'm by no means a bad player. I'm quite good but there are many better than me and because I played more than most at launch I got matched up with a lot of the best players. Because there is no separation of the highly competitive players and the casual players this game will get so frustrating no one will play it I guarantee. I already stopped. If you think $60 is worth a good campaign, Halo 4 has one of the best campaigns you'll ever play. The campaign does have one big issue though. It's hard to follow and in order to understand it you'll need to do research before or after it. The story is not very clear but the cutscenes are great and the gameplay is fun! Great game overall but multiplayer sucks right now. Check out my full war games (multiplayer) review here: http://www.343industries.org/forum/topic/17780-my-honest-review-of-halo-4-war-games-rank-sr-38/…Expand

This is the best review for this game: Halo 4. The Good: brilliant visuals, balanced multiplayer, weekly content (spartan ops) and it feels like a halo game... except it isn't. The Bad: Campaign has missing levels, (You feel as you play through it that important introductions and information is missing) I hate to say it but the first-person "action sequences" that happen feel way too CoD,This is the best review for this game: Halo 4. The Good: brilliant visuals, balanced multiplayer, weekly content (spartan ops) and it feels like a halo game... except it isn't. The Bad: Campaign has missing levels, (You feel as you play through it that important introductions and information is missing) I hate to say it but the first-person "action sequences" that happen feel way too CoD, (not that CoD is bad mind you, but this is Halo.) The ending... as soon as Chief is crawling on a light bridge you will know what I mean... and I feel that 343i "left out" content that are stables in Halo as of this point. (Firefight, Theater Mode for Campaign, etc...) All in all, I'd say that if you are a Halo fan, you may have some reservations about lost content or lack of campaign varity (not in the vehicle mission but in all the others it feels like all you do is go to objectives and activate things...) but if you are a shooter fan and enjoy the fun of challenging enemies and the variety of very well-balanced weapons then this could be your cup of tea. The addition of CoD-like gameplay to the Halo franchise feels like the addition of the Arbiter missions in Halo 2; some people dig it, some people don't. Final Verdict: Halo 4 is beautiful game riddled with missing content, but if you can get past what could have been you will pick up this game with one thought: "I need a weapon." - The Best Review…Expand

There are lots of set pieces in this game that make you giddy with excitement at the new ideas. The Mantis combat walker, the Mammoth 6 wheeled sandcrawler type vehicle. Lots of neat ideas. They did a good job of revising the franchise.

Then there are other parts of the game that make you want to beat your head against the wall in frustration. It is hard sometimes to see where youThere are lots of set pieces in this game that make you giddy with excitement at the new ideas. The Mantis combat walker, the Mammoth 6 wheeled sandcrawler type vehicle. Lots of neat ideas. They did a good job of revising the franchise.

Then there are other parts of the game that make you want to beat your head against the wall in frustration. It is hard sometimes to see where you are supposed to go next and you just kind of have to search your way around.

Good story though and great graphics and gameplay otherwise. If you are a fan of Halo it is a must buy, if you are not a fan, then it might be a pass for you.…Expand

First off ill be clear, I have not finished the campaign but am 4 hours in and I have 10 hours in multiplayer and have played numerous rounds of each game type. From my experience here are the aspects that i enjoyed and those i do not. Campagin: BAD Inconsistent difficulty: some areas are boringly easy ( played on heroic) while other areas are controller throwing difficult.

GOOD:First off ill be clear, I have not finished the campaign but am 4 hours in and I have 10 hours in multiplayer and have played numerous rounds of each game type. From my experience here are the aspects that i enjoyed and those i do not. Campagin: BAD Inconsistent difficulty: some areas are boringly easy ( played on heroic) while other areas are controller throwing difficult.

GOOD: Beautiful graphics. I died at one point because i walked out of a crevice into an open area and was standing just looking at the amazing scenery.

BAD: The AI is simple: The enemies generally repeat a simple pattern and dont seem to act as if they have any tactics. ( shoot a grunt in the back and often they wont even turn around)

GOOD: voice quality. I always felt in the previous games that the voice recording quality was lacking. However the voices in the campaign have been wonderfully crisp.

BAD: overpowered weapons. It seems as though the method to make the game more difficult is to simply ramp up the enemy weapon damage. This leads to a jackal with a needler being your worst enemy rather than a skillful elite.

GOOD: Controls: while the control layout has changed the fluidity of the control is such that the controller never feels like a barrier.

BAD: Vehicle sounds: Every vehicle sound so far has been annoying to the point that I've actually left behind a ghost so I didn't have to hear it. The warthog is a military vehicle not an alcohol dragster. Any enemy within a half a mile would hear it coming. BAD: Checkpoints. Bungie was always careful to ensure that difficult areas had strategic checkpoints that would help you progress while still allowing for deaths. Halo 4 barely has any. If you cant get through a 30-40 minute section without dying, be prepared to see the same area and hear the same dialog, possibly for hours till you can find just the right sequence of maneuvers to get you through. Multiplayer:

BAD: Locked Loadouts: The fact that those who have been playing longest get access to the best gear is frustrating beyond words. Dont like the jetpack at first? Tough. BAD: Dynamic game joining. More than once it seemed that one team got to start the game 10-30 seconds before the other allowing for advantages that were near insurmountable ( acquiring both mechs in capture the flag on Valhalla)

BAD: Mechs. Any game that include the mechs regardless of the actual type becomes "capture the mech" these things are so incredibly overpowered its inconceivable they made it into the final game in this form. BAD: Map design. Most of the maps feel cluttered and lack a sense of flow, with many having a "perfect spot" eg. The tree near the crates on Abandon is so easily defended that an oddball match can be won in a blowout if the carrier stands behind it.

GOOD: Player skill matching. Despite playing against opponents some 20 levels higher the game seemed to balance the teams well. Rarely did it feel like one person won the game.

GOOD: SWAT. SWAT still plays as vicious and frantic as always and the new instant respawn helps keep the game moving Overall while the game most definitely feels like a halo game it lacks that sense of razor thin balance that made the prior games so much fun. While the new graphics bring a greater feeling of realism failings in gameplay constantly break immersion. A shaky start to a new era of Halo.…Expand

Absolutely brilliant game. Couldn't ask for more, except maybe a bigger Forge map and a helicopter in multiplayer. But to break it down...
- The campaign is incredible and has possibly the best story I've ever played. You really feel like Master Chief.
- The graphics are the best I've ever seen and are the best on the Xbox 360, hands down.
- The multiplayer is incredibly fun, deep, andAbsolutely brilliant game. Couldn't ask for more, except maybe a bigger Forge map and a helicopter in multiplayer. But to break it down...
- The campaign is incredible and has possibly the best story I've ever played. You really feel like Master Chief.
- The graphics are the best I've ever seen and are the best on the Xbox 360, hands down.
- The multiplayer is incredibly fun, deep, and extraordinarily balanced. Best multiplayer since Halo 2. - Spartan Ops is fantastic, and the cinematic pieces before each episode make the missions have meaning.
This game is incredible. Games like Call of Duty are laughable in comparison. If you like games, pick this up. Now.…Expand

This is my first Halo game and the only reason why I played it was for the AMEX promotions (hehe). Anyway, the campaign was pretty good. I thought the graphics were great, music was good enough, gameplay was solid, but repetitive. The enemies were sponges and not that fun to fight. Many levels felt like repeats, however, some driving sequences broke up the monotony. I played about 2This is my first Halo game and the only reason why I played it was for the AMEX promotions (hehe). Anyway, the campaign was pretty good. I thought the graphics were great, music was good enough, gameplay was solid, but repetitive. The enemies were sponges and not that fun to fight. Many levels felt like repeats, however, some driving sequences broke up the monotony. I played about 2 or 3 rounds of multiplayer and I thought it was great. Despite, my first time playing, I did fairly well. My call of duty experience helped me a bunch and I thought it was quite noob friendly. The game is a solid 7/10 for newcomers.…Expand

The Halo franchise has embedded the perfect dent in the first-person shooter genre, however while 343 has taken the series and knocked the multi-player out of the park the single-player takes a tremendous downward spiral into unavoidable oblivion. Mundane, repetitive, and monotonous are a few a adjectives to describe the campaign experience. Beauty cut-scenes and intriguing story are notThe Halo franchise has embedded the perfect dent in the first-person shooter genre, however while 343 has taken the series and knocked the multi-player out of the park the single-player takes a tremendous downward spiral into unavoidable oblivion. Mundane, repetitive, and monotonous are a few a adjectives to describe the campaign experience. Beauty cut-scenes and intriguing story are not a fault. The mere repetition of repeated metal "things" and disconnect from the world was the heaviest boulder to overcome. Halo used to be about expansive worlds and driving the warthog from point A to point B for the sake of; it was just to far to walk. Halo 4 puts the player in a metal box and says "hit that button." While the campaign was a disappointment the multi-player is hands down the highest contender of all prior Halos.…Expand

I bought Halo 4 about a month ago since at first I was not all that convinced that 343 would continue the Halo series that I loved. The game lives up to its hype. If you enjoy Halo games in the slightest then this game is fantastic. Despite the short campaign, Halo 4's story I believe is more engrossing than much of the original Halo trilogy. That said, I personally do not enjoy Halo 4 asI bought Halo 4 about a month ago since at first I was not all that convinced that 343 would continue the Halo series that I loved. The game lives up to its hype. If you enjoy Halo games in the slightest then this game is fantastic. Despite the short campaign, Halo 4's story I believe is more engrossing than much of the original Halo trilogy. That said, I personally do not enjoy Halo 4 as much as I did any of the previous Halo FPS installments. My main problems with the game relate to game-play. With respect to the campaign, in Halo: CE and Halo 2, I remember how difficult fighting elites were on legendary and how tactical at times fighting those enemies could be. It was always a relief to fight the flood but still exhilarating as waves of flood tried to overtake me. The Covenant in Halo 4 are easier than the flood were in Halos 1 - 3. Rarely do elites require switching to plasma weapons or require any other thinking than shoot until they die. I will admit groups of Covenant are far more effective in groups since grunts and jackals seem to have been upgraded to do more damage and often an elite is nearby. However, tactical thinking still can be required at points when facing Covenant. If the game's adversaries only consisted of Covenant, I might forgive the easy difficulty and merely add skulls to increase the difficulty. Halo 4's Prometheans really are the most aggravating adversaries. The elite-equivalent Prometheans need to be bursted down but they retreat or warp next to me right as I am about to kill them. Since they retreat so often, I end up wasting all my ammo for my rifle. Since the game constantly blocks previous paths (which had plenty of ammo), I have often found myself running like a madman around the battlefield looking for any type of weapon since my ammo has run out. I do not mind the burst requirement for the Prometheans but I do wish the game felt as open as the previous Halos. MULTIPLAYER (only competitive not cooperative):
Halo 4's multiplayer is a far more mixed experience. While I find the game-play quite fun and the maps not altogether horrible, War Games really suffers from balance issues. Every previous iteration of Halo provided decent balance and competitive modes. From what I understand competitive modes will be added but I doubt that games will ever really feel balanced. The killstreaks or Ordinances are really overdone. At this point in the game, players mainly choose shotgun-type weapons and camp or they choose sniper rifles if given the option. In past Halo games, getting shot while zoomed in would cause the player to zoom out. Not anymore. This has made sniper rifles easily the best mid-long range weapons since it pretty much guarantees a kill. Yet this really is a minor flaw in the game and it rarely disrupts my enjoyment of the game. The presence of killstreaks, the lack of the ability to grab grenades off of dead enemies as default, and the removal of map and weapon control really augments the feeling that this really is not Bungie's Halo anymore. The game used to reward smart skilled play but really it just rewards people who get killstreaks the fastest which allows them to get more later. Until Halo 4, multiplayer required decent teammates and intelligent play. I cannot give this anything less than an 7 but also anything more than an 8 as this game really is more style than substance. It disheartens me that Halo has moved away from tactical game-play to run and gun idiocy. Hopefully, competitive play will be just that and until then I, regretfully, will probably not continue to play this mass-appealing drivel.…Expand

I have been a Halo fan since the Combat Evolved and though this game was not perfect I have very high hopes for what 343 will end up doing with the series. First of all this game doesn't deserve a 10 or 9, it deserves a 7 or 8, but also keep in mind this game in no way deserves the low scores people are giving it and some people don't know how to score a game if they give almost anything aI have been a Halo fan since the Combat Evolved and though this game was not perfect I have very high hopes for what 343 will end up doing with the series. First of all this game doesn't deserve a 10 or 9, it deserves a 7 or 8, but also keep in mind this game in no way deserves the low scores people are giving it and some people don't know how to score a game if they give almost anything a zero. Now to get into the game, the story is great. Cortana is starting to deteriorate as all AI's do eventually and your primary mission is to save her although you get sidetracked with saving the universe again from the new enemy the Prometheans. This game is very good at really showing emotion in Master Chief which I can't say I've ever seen in the whole series before. The missions are fun, but the first three missions feel pretty dull and like all you do is press buttons. After that the game really picks up and is a fun adventure. The next thing to review is the new enemy, the Prometheans, (I'm not going to bother going over the covenant). The Promethean knights and Crawlers are very cool enemies to fight. My only problem would be with crawlers having a sniper killing you in one shot and I feel the teleporting of the knights is more frustrating than entertaining. The thing I can't stand is the Watchers, or in other words the little flying guys. They give the knights shields and deflect grenades back at you, and when you shoot them they fly away. It's fine for a game to be challenging, but the watchers are just plain irritating. Spartan Ops is just maps being constantly recycled. There's an attempt at a story, but it's ridiculous and you won't find yourself caring. There's not much to it, I don't recommend it. I love the multiplayer, it is great and I don't care what people have to say about it. The new modes are great, there's no real problems with the classes and infinity slayer is very fun. There's tons of new armor and reasons to rank up. Ordinance isn't cheap and I like the power weapons scattered throughout the map randomly. I kind of wish they had a mode of just classic Halo but it's ok without it. I hate the Boltshot, almost like a mini shotgun, but it's not the worst thing and it won't ruin the experience. Please don't even acknowledge people saying this multiplayer is just COD, these are either just stupid 5 year-old COD fanboys or Halo fans who can't handle small changes. I haven't loved the multiplayer of a game to the point where I actually play it a lot and enjoy myself since Halo 3 (even though I liked Halo: Reach). In conclusion Bungie blessed us with a studio that knows what it's doing and remember this is their first game that they fully did! It will only get better and a true Halo fan should be able to stick with it instead of hating on it because it had changes. And if you are a huge Halo fan and don't like it than just don't complain and stick with the old ones…Expand

As far as the Halo series goes, I must applaud 343 for daring to do new things. Chief is a lot more narrative. Cortana is naked as ever. The environments are gorgeous. Sound is ho-hum. Story is OK. In fact, the story is the biggest drawback of the game. I have no problem with Cortana needing Chief's help because she's losing her sh*t. What I do have a problem with is the awkwardAs far as the Halo series goes, I must applaud 343 for daring to do new things. Chief is a lot more narrative. Cortana is naked as ever. The environments are gorgeous. Sound is ho-hum. Story is OK. In fact, the story is the biggest drawback of the game. I have no problem with Cortana needing Chief's help because she's losing her sh*t. What I do have a problem with is the awkward relationship these two have. If I'm not listening to her crying about losing Chief, I'm listening to Chief saying, "It's OK baby, I'll take care of you." I want to shoot at things and be a hero, not watch a $60 soap opera.

The multiplayer is all about shoehorning Call of Duty elements into Halo game play. I feel like 343 took all of Bungie's hard work and tried to dress it up as something new by replicating what put Infinity Ward on the map. This is just my opinion, of course.…Expand

Halo 4 as a game isn't exactly what I was expecting from the series, with a poor campaign that doesn't stand up to the previous 3. Graphics are incredible, I will say, better than any of the previous games. Multiplayer gameplay is dominated by the DMR, an overpowered weapon that has no downsides, the Boltshot, a pistol that doubles as a shotgun, and grenade spam, players enjoy picking theHalo 4 as a game isn't exactly what I was expecting from the series, with a poor campaign that doesn't stand up to the previous 3. Graphics are incredible, I will say, better than any of the previous games. Multiplayer gameplay is dominated by the DMR, an overpowered weapon that has no downsides, the Boltshot, a pistol that doubles as a shotgun, and grenade spam, players enjoy picking the same maps over and over until they don't have that choice anymore, and this gets very boring, very fast. Overall, the game isn't worthy of the title of Halo, maybe Call of Spartan 4 would have been a better title, because it seems like they attempted to CoDify it as much as possible without completely changing the game, speeding up gameplay wherever they could, sacrificing quality in many cases. Spartan ops, as an honorable mention, is disappointing and boring, recycled maps and stale gameplay make for a dull gameplay experience that doesn't cut it.…Expand

inherited a golden franchise and huge fanbase from bungie, and 343 squandered it by trying to make halo into their own. well guess what, people bought halo 4 for bungie, and stopped playing because of 343. they won't be tricked into buying halo 5, in hopes that 343 will be bringing it back to "halo roots" like they said. the only people that continue playing are the BTB scrubs, who'veinherited a golden franchise and huge fanbase from bungie, and 343 squandered it by trying to make halo into their own. well guess what, people bought halo 4 for bungie, and stopped playing because of 343. they won't be tricked into buying halo 5, in hopes that 343 will be bringing it back to "halo roots" like they said. the only people that continue playing are the BTB scrubs, who've changed halo into 8v8 into the traditional 4v4 arena shooter it is known for. A lot of false promises backed by nonresponsive PR rankings promised on day 1, comes 6 months after, fileshare promised day 1, comes 3 months after. 343 is a bad studio, and being a new studio doesn't give them some leeway, why did they give a new studio the reins to 360's best exclusive? and its not like those developers are new, theyve all worked on tripleA titles…Expand

While Halo 4 (Xbox 360) is a fantastic, enjoyable game with amazing graphics, it could have been so much more. I have loved the halo franchise from the original Combat Evolved to Halo Reach, but Halo 4 just didn't have the full package I was hoping for. The campaign was short, repetitive and linear. When I say linear, I mean canyons and corridors. You will know exactly what I mean if youWhile Halo 4 (Xbox 360) is a fantastic, enjoyable game with amazing graphics, it could have been so much more. I have loved the halo franchise from the original Combat Evolved to Halo Reach, but Halo 4 just didn't have the full package I was hoping for. The campaign was short, repetitive and linear. When I say linear, I mean canyons and corridors. You will know exactly what I mean if you have played the previous games. There is simply not enough open, widespread areas that make you gasp in awe at the size of them.

There was one particular sequence that I loved, which involved riding on a giant tank (very similar to the sequence in Gears of War 2) while defending it but it didn't last long enough, and guess what?...The tank was driving through yet another linear canyon The sequence could have had so much more added to it to make it worthy of the Halo franchise. An example of a worthy Halo chapter was the epic final battle in Halo 3, where you are battling infantry, scarabs, ghosts, wraiths etc. That battle just made me jump for joy while I was playing it. Sadly there is no, i repeat, NO epic battles in this game at all.

I got the feeling that the new makers, 343 Industries were too busy trying to put everything from the old halo games in that they forgot that the fans also want something new. The new enemies (rogue covenant and the prometheans) are boring and have absolutely zero personality compared to the Covenant in Halo 3, who I began to have respect for towards the end of the game. The new weapons aren't new they are just the same old weapons turned orange, with different sound effects
The storyline was very vague in explaining what the enemies actually want which is, in my opinion a very important factor to take into account. Why are they doing what they are doing? The most disappointing part of the campaign is the boss battle. I was hoping for a showdown that would take me loads of attemps to beat but......no.....It lasted 3 seconds and most of it was a cutscene.

The multiplayer is pretty much the same. The maps are uninspiring and I can't pick out anything new or innovative apart from changing the NAMES of some of the game types. Not very exciting....i mean...come on...game NAMES??? Who cares?? However, there is one new game type that I love: Dominion. It involves capturing bases, fortifying them with shields and turrets, and then defending them from the enemy. This involves tactic and teamwork, which is something that I think the previous halo game types didn't have enough of. But...This does not make up for the disappointment of the rest of the game.

The fact is, halo has so much potential. The halo universe is a brilliant creation and there is so much that can be added to it. It's practically limitless...... so why didn't they add anything?? Beats me??!…Expand

Halo 4 in many retrospects is a game marred with sighed expectations. The question frequently asked is "Do we really need another one?". While it may sound arbitrary in contrast to how Master Chief's story ends, Halo 4 is a fresh and vivid, if not underwhelming game. To begin, Microsoft sent alot of money towards to the newfound caretakers of the Halo name, 343 Industries, to ensure itHalo 4 in many retrospects is a game marred with sighed expectations. The question frequently asked is "Do we really need another one?". While it may sound arbitrary in contrast to how Master Chief's story ends, Halo 4 is a fresh and vivid, if not underwhelming game. To begin, Microsoft sent alot of money towards to the newfound caretakers of the Halo name, 343 Industries, to ensure it looked its best. And boy it sure did. Halo 4 is stunning even on the aging Xbox 360, it stands as one of the best looking console games out there.
The story this time around focuses on the human nature of Master Chief rather than the silent protagonist we are used to. His relationship with Cortana is a nuanced, if not an iffy one since I this is the only game with Master Chief saying more than 8 lines of dialogue. The plot moves at a brisk pace, but it reaches a satisfying conclusion that is marred by one of the more anti climatic boss battles in Halo memory. But how does it play? Well, if you consider the usual gun, grenade, and melee mechanics brilliant, then you'll love this game even more. However the weapons pack a better punch, and enemy A.I. is improved. That said it doesn't derail from the fact it's been the same thing we've been doing since 2001 with the first Halo.
It certainly isn't the best of the series, but when you pack in a newly remastered forge mode. A rather dull Spartan Ops, and a reinvigorated multiplayer, people are bound to come back for more. For others like me, I feel the Halo train should've stopped with Halo: Reach, but who's complaining?…Expand

Pretty disappointing. The single player is boring to play through and the multiplayer just isn't as good as 2, 3, or Reach's multiplayer. Graphics are ok, but that doesn't make a game FUN to play. Btw, the end boss fight is a complete cop out and just plain sucks. Its just a slightly interactive cut scene.

All the Halo you expect. This is a solid Halo entry and delivers everywhere a Halo game should. The lack of something significant that is new though limits it. It doesn't seem as addictive as Reach either. Hopefully Halo games aren't rolled out every year just for the sake of it like Call of Duty is (which is becoming increasingly tiring). I would like to see more thought go into the nextAll the Halo you expect. This is a solid Halo entry and delivers everywhere a Halo game should. The lack of something significant that is new though limits it. It doesn't seem as addictive as Reach either. Hopefully Halo games aren't rolled out every year just for the sake of it like Call of Duty is (which is becoming increasingly tiring). I would like to see more thought go into the next game in order to lift Halo back up to the level that Reach has made it's high point. The addition of new modes and features would make for a more enriched experience too.…Expand

The story is quite good, it has stellar sound and looks, character development has increased tenfold over it's predecessors, and can be challenging due to decently smart AI. A little on the short side though.

The multiplayer is somewhat derivative and hectic by Halo standards, but stellar by any other measure. (No pun intended)
Verdict: Much better than Halo Reach, but this titleThe story is quite good, it has stellar sound and looks, character development has increased tenfold over it's predecessors, and can be challenging due to decently smart AI. A little on the short side though.

The multiplayer is somewhat derivative and hectic by Halo standards, but stellar by any other measure. (No pun intended)

Verdict: Much better than Halo Reach, but this title doesn't live up match the glory days of Halo 3.…Expand

The campaign was pretty disappointing, but the multiplayer somewhat makes up for it, although it is the worst of the series. But the problem with the entire game is that they messed with the existing formula too much. Basically, the game feels more like a clone than something distinct.

An all round good game I have thoroughly enjoyed the Campaigns gameplay and really enjoyed the online multiplayer. Highly recommended for any Halo or FPS fan who's mind isn't locked down by the COD effect.
The graphics are very impressive for a console game making full use of the Xbox 360's ageing hardware and proving what developers can do with practice.
yes the campaign could have beenAn all round good game I have thoroughly enjoyed the Campaigns gameplay and really enjoyed the online multiplayer. Highly recommended for any Halo or FPS fan who's mind isn't locked down by the COD effect.
The graphics are very impressive for a console game making full use of the Xbox 360's ageing hardware and proving what developers can do with practice.
yes the campaign could have been better but it is still great fun, my problems with are the awful storyline which is constantly dragged down further by the pathetic love story between a genetically engineered super soldier armed with the best equipment available and an A.I? Occasionally repetitive level design and mediocre chores that are assigned to you to get you from A to B are fortunately compensated by the other aspects of the game such as enemy A.I, variety and well designed weapons. This is nothing new in the Halo franchise though.
The online multiplayer has a good variety of maps, objectives, weapons and Vehicles that I have enjoyed for hours and is the main reason I still have my Xbox 360 still set up next to my gaming PC which I use most of the time.
A good game that deserves acknowledgement especially considering that it wasn't made by the original developers, 343 Industries have proven that their future projects are worth keeping in mind.…Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
(First things first: this is a critique of the campaign. I am not a multi-player gamer.)

I think there is a point when a video game or film franchise goes from being fun and made with enthusiasm and talent to being purely a cash cow.

Halo 4 is such a game. Bungie rightfully designed, explored and closed their Halo games by incorporating a trilogy, a side-story and a prequel (Halo Wars is in another category). One can only imagine once Microsoft had 343 take over Master Chief's universe, they didn't so much see the mythology evolving and the story going deeper but more dollar signs. And let's face it, that's what the industry is all about, creating great games, making money.

The trouble is when your audience sees through the ruse and realizes the game is less about them and more about the profit margin, there is a loss of spirit in the actual game playing.

And that's what Halo 4 is: spiritless. Sure on the surface, the graphics, the sound, the story are all at Halo standards but here again, the game is beautiful while being less fun and the further players explore Planet Requiem and take down the Prometheans, the levels tediously pile on and the enemy onslaught becomes even more tiring.

With the Covenant, at least there is a comedic character to them. The Prometheans, on the other hand, are rather dull and remind me of long-forgotten Happy Meal toys from the 80s. They are not so much menacing as unavoidable in their combat style. The only strategy in fighting them is perseverance if little else. And as for the Didact and the Librarian and the Composer, it all turns into a convoluted mess at times and you're really trying hard to care and at the same time forgive the operatic hyperbole of the mythology. Halo 4 is what happens when 'epic' becomes closer to ridiculous.

What kept me playing is the story between Master Chief and Cortana. The voice acting is superb and on-par with the best Hollywood animated movies. With Cortana, especially, from the facial expressions to the gestures, we've come along way from Combat Evolved's clunky cut scenes.

Yet, despite the small pleasures of the voice acting, this is just a barely-above average FPS. If it didn't have the Halo concept, the story and mythos, the gamer would be just playing any other action shoot-em up.

It's good, but not great. At times, not even fun. 343 basically replaced The Flood with the Prometheans and took cues from The Flood stages to create similar bland levels to fight the bland waves of enemies. The Covenant levels were the best to play and thankfully there were more than I expected. The story and the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana were the only reasons I carried on. Otherwise, unlike Halo 3 or Reach, I won't bother to revisit this campaign. This game is beautiful to look at but for the most part (again, aside from the dramatic cut scenes), it's quite soulless. Halo fans deserve better and 343 and Microsoft have created their cash cow and will most likely continue to worship it and pump out more of the same. For the record, I probably won't bother with the next one in the series. Halo, from what Halo 4 shows me, rightfully belonged to Bungie and can't be crafted with the same care and passion by any other company.…Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Halo 4, compared to its predecessors, has a darker storyline and improved graphics. But Halo 4 dosent include the Firefight mode, witch is replaced with Spartan Ops, a broken storyline of missions that dont serve any purpose what so ever. Halo 4 dosent have the kick the other Halo gamed had. I played Halo: Reach for 2 years, then Halo 4 came out and I didnt want to play it after a few months. It dosent have any staying power. The storyline is a weird and nothing is explained on why the Covenant is your enemy again.…Expand

Alright before anyone get's their pants in a jiffy, I love halo, my favorite FPS series of all time, but frankly this...
First off the game looks gorgeous, graphically the best looking xbox 360 game, but I have to stop everyone there and say it's not needed or wanted, looking at other halo's everyone of them is colorful and neat to look at, it has a little cartoony art style that isAlright before anyone get's their pants in a jiffy, I love halo, my favorite FPS series of all time, but frankly this...
First off the game looks gorgeous, graphically the best looking xbox 360 game, but I have to stop everyone there and say it's not needed or wanted, looking at other halo's everyone of them is colorful and neat to look at, it has a little cartoony art style that is always nice to look at, but in this case the graphics make the game look rather dull, but that's just graphics which shouldn't matter too much so what about story? You shoot aliens in the face in a linear corridor rinse and repeat, this game is weirdly very linear compared to other Halos and it's kind of boring, but the story is Chief and Cortana are trying to find a way off the planet but release an ancient evil alien called the Didact(?) that's wants to blow up humanity, so it dwindles down to "It's all chief's fault", other aspects of the story is chief no longer being the badass one liner who doesn't ask for orders only receives and get's the job done, for someone trying to have emotion which is troublesome sine he's giant super soldier who can lift tanks. Gameplay has changed dramatically and in my opinion it's worse, Halo was always different where usually FPS's are all generic and same now Halo has joined them, it's got the same control scheme as any other FPS and it's unwanted, and the multiplayer dramatically changed too, before (at least in Halo 3) it was always about skill rather than rank or anything, you had to be smart take your time remember things on the map and use them everyone started the same therefore who ever is the most intelligent wins, but now Halo 4's multiplayer is completely unfair, being high level is all that matters since you get the best loadouts which undermines Halo's entire PvP about being fair and using team work. Halo 4 is basically a generic shooter like Battlefield or CoD which ruins the game since the series was always different making it unique. Halo 4 all in all is average.…Expand

If you enjoyed the previous Halo games im pretty sure you will be disappointed with this one. The story in Halo 4 continues freshly from when Halo 3 ended and the gameplay feels smoother and faster, but I couldn't help but just feel disappointed, the game feels linear and bland. The Promethean knights (the new enemy) are just annoying, they are an unwelcome edition to Halo, I enjoyedIf you enjoyed the previous Halo games im pretty sure you will be disappointed with this one. The story in Halo 4 continues freshly from when Halo 3 ended and the gameplay feels smoother and faster, but I couldn't help but just feel disappointed, the game feels linear and bland. The Promethean knights (the new enemy) are just annoying, they are an unwelcome edition to Halo, I enjoyed fighting brutes more. Don't believe those people giving this game 9's and 10's, they are probably working for 343 industries trying to get money off us or Halo 4 is their first Halo game they've ever played.…Expand

halo 4 is already apotheosis. Already how much this universe has been released from games. And halo 4 is very similar to the first part. This remake just scored mountains of pros and shortcomings. The game is insanely beautiful. Best cutscene, good localization, voice over, and plants with animals. However, though promethazi funny, dogs just spoil the gameplay. The music is not too bad,halo 4 is already apotheosis. Already how much this universe has been released from games. And halo 4 is very similar to the first part. This remake just scored mountains of pros and shortcomings. The game is insanely beautiful. Best cutscene, good localization, voice over, and plants with animals. However, though promethazi funny, dogs just spoil the gameplay. The music is not too bad, but sometimes it's annoying. New main enemy is an idiot and moves on a giant red ball the size of a planet. This excuse is senility. Together with prometazine a new weapon and it is by the way very unusual. He has a very cool sight. The arms moved apart and moved when aiming. Also there is a new gun and almost sniper rifle. But now the Covenant are less intelligent and fatter. The only assistant cortana. And the multiplayer was very dynamic and with high system throughput. And he's cool. He played a crucial role in the assessment. Also there will be a cooperative company of several seasons under the name spartan ops.

Decent campaign nothing special or memorable but it could be worse. The game looks great graphically and the online play was quite similar to Call of Duty with create a class and perks which was a step back when it came to balancing. New weapons and vehicles were a great edition to the game like the rail gun and mantis. Over all Halo 4 was a semi good entry to the Halo series

I've only gotten about 4 and a half hours of gameplay under my belt in the single player campaign of Halo 4 but I've come away with several early - and mostly negative - impressions. Remember these are just impressions and NOT designed to be a full review which means my score may change at a later date. Also, this will be long and Metacritic's lack of carriage returns may make it difficultI've only gotten about 4 and a half hours of gameplay under my belt in the single player campaign of Halo 4 but I've come away with several early - and mostly negative - impressions. Remember these are just impressions and NOT designed to be a full review which means my score may change at a later date. Also, this will be long and Metacritic's lack of carriage returns may make it difficult to read - as usual, I will delineate paragraphs with several pipe characters. |||| First, it's clear Halo 4 uses a modified version of Unreal Engine 3. This doesn't come as a surprise to me as I seem to recall that the engine, itself, was one of the few things Bungie got to keep when they broke off from Microsoft. However, typical Unreal Engine issues like texture pop in and terrible in game text overlays are prevalent throughout the game, often to the detriment of gameplay. |||| Graphically, the game looks nice except for the fact they went crazy with lens flares and bloom effects. I read one user review who made a similar complaint by stating that "if you try to scope in to snipe, your eyeballs will get burned out of your sockets". It may sound like an exaggeration but it is not. The game is heavy on in your face lighting effects which often blind you even when brightness is turned down to its lowest setting in the game options. The best way I can describe it is the same kind of effect you get if you're facing east as the sun comes up over the horizon or if you're driving east into the early morning sun. The glare blinds and washes everything out. |||| The music is decent but it lacks the punch and significance of the scores of the previous Halo titles. A lot of that is because the composer replaced orchestral arrangements with electronic ones. It's a better score than most games but it just doesn't live up to the quality we became accustomed to by the former musical masters of Halo, Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori. Sound effects are disappointing overall. Guns, especially the human/UNSC ones, sound like toys rather than weapons and vehicles sound "off", for lack of a better way to describe them. |||| Speaking of weapons and vehicles, what a disappointment! The Forerunner weapons absolutely suck when you use them but they can two shot you when the enemy AI uses them. This is undoubtedly a byproduct of playing on Legendary difficulty, but that still doesn't excuse the fact that I feel as though I'd be more effective throwing stones than using a boltshot pistol or the lightrifle. Human weapons are vastly underpowered (except the Battle Rifle, which you don't find often) while Covenant weapons are quite powerful (remember, this is regarding campaign, not multiplayer). The Covenant Carbine, which has always been a single shot assault rifle (think of the M1 Garand), can double as a sniper rifle in this iteration of the game. Vehicles, by contrast, handle much differently than in past titles. The Covenant's Banshee and Ghost feel slow and sluggish while the UNSC's Warthog is quick to lose control and go flipping down the path. |||| I haven't really messed with multiplayer much but, so far, it looks like they've tried cloning Call of Duty's "loadout" style with Halo's sci-fi trappings. This doesn't surprise me too much as we started to see this with Halo: Reach while it was still under Bungie's leadership but multiplayer now feels like 343 simply cloned Modern Warfare and called it a day. Even Spartan Ops is basically just a copy of Call of Duty's Spec Ops mode. |||| As a self-confessed Halo fanboy (it's one of the few franchises that I have every single title for), I'm growing increasingly disappointed with Halo 4 as I play it. 343 Industries didn't take any real risks with the franchise nor did they attempt to make it their own. They merely copied elements of what made Halo popular, copied other popular shooter elements for multiplayer, then covered the game in high gloss. |||| Hopefully it gets better. Hopefully I won't run into more quick time events (which have no place in this franchise). At this point, hope is all I have.…Expand

Pretty disappointed really. Was really hoping this would be a return to form after hating Reach and ODST so much. If you liked the others, chances are you will like this, if you didn't, this won't do anything for you.
The gameplay has not changed one bit. Same familiar looking corridors, same vehicle sections.
Yeah it looks and sounds great, but it is so frigging dull. MP is fine,Pretty disappointed really. Was really hoping this would be a return to form after hating Reach and ODST so much. If you liked the others, chances are you will like this, if you didn't, this won't do anything for you.
The gameplay has not changed one bit. Same familiar looking corridors, same vehicle sections.
Yeah it looks and sounds great, but it is so frigging dull. MP is fine, nothing special. Like I said, if you liked it before, you will now.…Expand

tldr: single player good. Multiplayer bad. I really wanted to like this game, I love the story but the multiplayer is awful. The spartan ops an extenuation that lets your spartan be a part of the greater Halo story is great! However, the true multiplayer or pvp is just awful. The maps are too small and are horribly unbalanced. Bungie did a much better job with multiplayer, whereas 343tldr: single player good. Multiplayer bad. I really wanted to like this game, I love the story but the multiplayer is awful. The spartan ops an extenuation that lets your spartan be a part of the greater Halo story is great! However, the true multiplayer or pvp is just awful. The maps are too small and are horribly unbalanced. Bungie did a much better job with multiplayer, whereas 343 did better with the overall story.…Expand

Pros: Amazing Graphics Cons: Boring gameplay, Ridiculous Story The original Halo series was enjoyable to play. This feels like a chore. It is a beautiful to look at chore, but nonetheless, a chore. No joy in any aspect of it. The story feels as if it is weighed down by its own predetermined need to be easily accessible. I really can't believe the positive reviews on this?

Let me first start off by saying I have been a hardcore halo fan for so many years, having bought all the halo games and loving every one of them (including halo wars which I thought was a underrated game).I so desperately want to give this game a great rating,but I couldn't.The only thing that kept my review up to a 6 and almost a 7 was the fact that the online multiplayer kicked my assLet me first start off by saying I have been a hardcore halo fan for so many years, having bought all the halo games and loving every one of them (including halo wars which I thought was a underrated game).I so desperately want to give this game a great rating,but I couldn't.The only thing that kept my review up to a 6 and almost a 7 was the fact that the online multiplayer kicked my ass till my cheeks turned red.
MULTIPLAYER:

Some people might say that it ripped off COD, but I thought they kept that same halo formula, but made it more engaging and action packed.Sprinting was added because every modern game nowadays has sprinting and it makes matches more up tempo because there is more engagement spots.Another big thing added was the oradence drops and I don't remember COD having a choice of 3 random weapons or upgrades which came after a certain amount of points.In the end this multiplayer will keep me playing for years to come and has nothing but room to improve in the next 2 games.

CUSTOM GAMES AND FORGE:

This is the place where halo 4 really falls flat to me.In all my years playing halo the most important part to me was the customization.In halo 4 I would have to give this a 1.5. 343 took the whole new multiplayer to far and destroyed the one thing that made Halo the premier game on xbox over COD and what gave me so many great memories of playing Halo 3 until the sun came up. Creating new innovative maps and gametypes that have me playing to this day. Halo 3 might not have been the most visually stunning game but with all the customization and support bungie put into the game,Halo 3 was what you made of it.Now with Halo 4 they through that all out the window, they don't even have a file share anymore and no race gametype. They replaced infection with Flood which I could go on about the enormity of stupidity that is in this gametype. To say it bluntly the zombies are over powered, and you can't customize s***!You can't even give the zombies a gravity hammer or any other weapon plus you cant even change the loadout for the infection. All those great infection gametypes are gone.I haven't even gotten to the worst part of it yet,they took out all the classic halo gametypes.One flag, assault,juggernaut,the list goes on.The only positive was an improved griffball and thats it.I will give it to them though the forgeing in this game is phenomenal. The magnets make making maps so much faster, but warning they can make some things uneven if your making a flat surface. The only downside to it is that it is practically impossible to create a gametype for your map. I had spent all night creating this great one flag map and I tried every combination to even make it a regular CTF game, didn't work. Alright then maybe I can create a slayer map... nope. So lastly I resorted to dominion and it worked and but ohh was it glitchy. The shields worked when they wanted to, and the turrets switched teams every 30 seconds. It was so disappointing after all the work we put into that map to have it barely playable. If they they polish this I think Halo 5 could be a 10.

CAMPAIGN:

For me the campaign was well polished and full of action, but uneventful. I want to state the flaws strait out. One is that the ending was boring to say the least I want to finish it myself, not in some quicktime event.The other thing was that Halo 4 didn't produce any great moments that Halo 3 created so many of. Destroying the scarab, storming the beach against the covenant, that final driving scene while the ring was collapsing, and the list goes on. I will give them a pass here because it was their first time around, but I won't be so easy on the halo 5 campaign.

CO-OP:

This section I will be brief on but honest. The CO-OP in this game is mediocre at best. First off I have to say. They replaced firefight with this crap! This is at the peak of bull s*** mountain to me. Spartan Ops is dull and recycled maps every episode and is nothing but killing enemies and flipping switches. There is no altering of the game mode or point system giving you no satisfaction after a kill. I have played through the first two episodes and it is the same exact thing except you start out on a different part of the map.

CONCLUSION:

Halo 4 succeeds in creating a innovative and engaging multiplayer but falls short on co-op and customization. As for the campaign, they did a pretty good job for their first go around, but needs more wow moments.…Expand

First off, I'm almost entirely a single player guy, so this review will be heavily biased in that regards. If you want to know about multiplayer, this review is not for you. Saying that, previous Halo games have always provided me with more than enough single player value for my dollar. Halo 4 is the first time I have not felt this way. As short as part 4 was, this was the first time IFirst off, I'm almost entirely a single player guy, so this review will be heavily biased in that regards. If you want to know about multiplayer, this review is not for you. Saying that, previous Halo games have always provided me with more than enough single player value for my dollar. Halo 4 is the first time I have not felt this way. As short as part 4 was, this was the first time I ever had to force myself to finish a Halo game. I began to wonder if after so many Halo games, if perhaps I had finally gotten tired of them. So I loaded up Halo Reach, and it was quickly reestablished why I love Halo so much after all. No, this wasn't a Halo thing. It was a Halo 4 thing. No joke, I had more fun in a single 30 minute single player round of Reach firefight then I did in the entire Halo 4 campaign. Thinking more on the whole Bungie's past visions of Halo vs. 343's new vision of Halo, I found something that summoned up my thoughts perfectly. A comparison of the former Firefight vs the new Spartan Ops. Firefight (Bungie) gives 1-4 people a hugh number of options, weapons, vehicles, levels and enemies, then lets you decide how you want to play the game to make your own fun. Spartan Ops (343) wants to tell you what to do, when to do it, and how you should do it. And it also wants to sell you a Gold membership at the same time. No thanks. Bungies Halos were nothing short of brilliant. 343's Halo was a good first attempt, yes. But its lacking it so many areas I just can't recommend it as a single player only game for those expecting more of the same. The campaign on display is a shell of it's former self. The new enemies, new weapons, empty battlefields, rail like progression (reviews that say the sandbox feel is better than ever are lying to you), horribly lifeless areas with little diversity (if I never see another silver level filled with orange neon lights and orange enemies with orange weapons it will be too soon), and enemy AI, can't hold a candle to what's already been established in the previous Halo games. And the worst new offender would be the reduced grenade damage in single player. My biggest guilty pleasure in Halo has always been making sure to save at least one grenade for when the enemy congregated in large numbers so I could reign down firey death. In halo 4 I would just as soon throw my grenades off a cliff for all the good they did. Another thing Bungie's Halos did great was introducing new enemy types with a bang, and making me fear and respect certain types of enemies. I have many fond memories of enemy encounters in past Halo games. What do I remember about Halo 4's enemies? Not fear, but dread. Dread of tedium (how many bullets does this thing take before warping and reshielding?) and cheap tactics over genuine challenge when a new Promethan knight appeared. That and about half way through the game I began wondering how long had I already been killing these resident evil dogs for. 343 / Microsoft have two directions to go in at this point. Bring back the single player value, or continue with the multiplayer only focus. Since we've already seen it's possible to do both, I'm hoping they choose the former over the latter.…Expand

I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this game, the single player campaign that is. After the two previous titles, Reach and ODST, I didn't have any hope. But the game was amazing, great story, beautiful music. Multiplayer was a complete joke. Gigantic, ill conceived levels. The same boring mechanics, with played hoping about like idiots, over powered weapons. Halo multiplayerI was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this game, the single player campaign that is. After the two previous titles, Reach and ODST, I didn't have any hope. But the game was amazing, great story, beautiful music. Multiplayer was a complete joke. Gigantic, ill conceived levels. The same boring mechanics, with played hoping about like idiots, over powered weapons. Halo multiplayer has been a complete waste of time for the casual gamer since Halo 3, favoring the preteen with nothing to do but spend hours a day playing the game. Only SWAT mode is any fun. But if you are going to play SWAT mode, then why bother with Halo in the first place as there are much better FPS you can play. Definitely pick this up used for the Single player.…Expand

I was so let down by this game. I watched all the trailer and listened to 343 say it would take Halo back to its roots and how it would be like Halo 3. the final product ends up being a Halo, CoD mashup which just dilutes the traditional Halo experience to near worthlessness and doesn't have the addictive arcade/CoD gameplay. Yes graphically it's beautiful, but the story is ehh, forgeI was so let down by this game. I watched all the trailer and listened to 343 say it would take Halo back to its roots and how it would be like Halo 3. the final product ends up being a Halo, CoD mashup which just dilutes the traditional Halo experience to near worthlessness and doesn't have the addictive arcade/CoD gameplay. Yes graphically it's beautiful, but the story is ehh, forge and customs were gutted, and matchmaking is a shell of what Halo once was. Halo 4 would not have been too bad as its own IP, but it is a dreadful Halo game. On the bright side, 343 seems to be listening and are implementing some changes and hopefully will fix Halo 4's issues for Halo 5.…Expand

Halo 3 multiplayer was the reason i had to buy an Xbox 360, and when i eventually did i couldn't put the controller down, years later and Halo 4 is finally here, but i'm slightly disappointed to say the least.

The campaign seems to be a mixed bag. On one end the enemy AI is great and the difficulty is just right. On the other end there are weird QTE esque Call of Duty like segments that are slow and take me out of the game. This back-and-forth between these elements persists throughout the relatively short campaign.
Multiplayer, like the campaign, is a mixed bag. New modes are fun, new armorsThe campaign seems to be a mixed bag. On one end the enemy AI is great and the difficulty is just right. On the other end there are weird QTE esque Call of Duty like segments that are slow and take me out of the game. This back-and-forth between these elements persists throughout the relatively short campaign.
Multiplayer, like the campaign, is a mixed bag. New modes are fun, new armors look very cool, new weapons are great, but it's all undermined by the HORRIBLE weapon spawning system. I won't even describe it but it's so **** compared to how it was in the other game.
Visually the game looks good, not great but it's definitely nice looking.
The music and sound effects are great as always in Halo.…Expand

This is just a big insult to any long time Halo fan. I don't know why I bought H4. I played for less than 7 hours. It's a disgrace.
And what made Halo amazing was not only the campaign, but how accessible the multiplayer is. No one talked about how "difficult" mp was (even though there was no online). Halo mp became a success was(after watching Halo 4 Postmortem on gamespot)

This is just a big insult to any long time Halo fan. I don't know why I bought H4. I played for less than 7 hours. It's a disgrace.

And what made Halo amazing was not only the campaign, but how accessible the multiplayer is. No one talked about how "difficult" mp was (even though there was no online). Halo mp became a success was because you can play it casually or if you really wanted to play serious, you can get to the meat and bones of the game by learning power weapons timing, grenade tossing techniques, spawns, and all that make an FPS an FPS.

Same thing applies with 2 and 3.

But now... this whole ordnance drop and default sprint makes the game only accessible for casual play. All that strafing and timing and positioning doesn't matter. Sprint doesn't fit in the Halo games because unlike other games you don't die in 3 bullets to the toe. The kill time doesn't mix with sprint.

Campaign: Good story and great graphics, but lacking in storytelling - no sense of emergency from the gameplay and quick-telling of the story, and the score wasn't up to the task. Essentially, a huge weakness was its quick-windedness. Multiplayer: Great weapon and ability diversity, but loadouts and ordinance drops make this game harshly unbalanced (and very difficult to balance from aCampaign: Good story and great graphics, but lacking in storytelling - no sense of emergency from the gameplay and quick-telling of the story, and the score wasn't up to the task. Essentially, a huge weakness was its quick-windedness. Multiplayer: Great weapon and ability diversity, but loadouts and ordinance drops make this game harshly unbalanced (and very difficult to balance from a developer's perspective). Character customization is awesome, as are the challenges and experience leveling up, but the small rotations of maps for each gametype via matchmaking make playing redundant quick. And the lack of individual gametype leveling makes for some unbalanced opponent and ally skills. Overall: I don't see the "343 making Halo their own" here. They took the basics of Halo, and threw in everything that people have liked in the CoD (and copycats) games. We've seen one of the more original shooters become one of the copycats. Now we're left with Team Fortress 2, Mass Effect, and Gears of War as the only viable unique 'shooter' experiences.…Expand

Overall a strong entry into the series (6.5/10). Regarding the campaign: Definitely a significant improvement over Halo: Reach as you simply do not sit back and fight wave after wave of enemies. Harkens back to Halo CE to me, but without the sense of exploration and wonder. Here you actually make forward progress most of the time. Problem is that if you go off the beaten path you'll dieOverall a strong entry into the series (6.5/10). Regarding the campaign: Definitely a significant improvement over Halo: Reach as you simply do not sit back and fight wave after wave of enemies. Harkens back to Halo CE to me, but without the sense of exploration and wonder. Here you actually make forward progress most of the time. Problem is that if you go off the beaten path you'll die quickly from the astounding increase in enemies and return far back as checkpoints aren't common. The covenant enemies are interesting and fun to fight as always but the new Promethean foes lack interesting characters and often stick to certain areas until you attack. There's also only 3 different types. Furthermore you're going to find yourself using mostly their weapons exclusively as there is no way you'll have ammo otherwise (get used to the lightrifle). Next, I felt the design and gameplay were decent, though it mostly revolves around moving from one button to the next to advance the story. Speaking of which... the story is weak. Very weak. And very difficult to understand if you have only played the games. It's just... strange. I felt the story in the previous 4 main games were good but this one was just kinda dumb and odd. I like the Chief but his relationship with the computer, Cortana, was weird and this new "threat"/ backstory (not explained in game at all though everyone seems to know it in the game) is dumb. This is obviously just my opinion......................... Regarding multiplayer: This is Halo 4's strong suit and will give it staying power. It's a strong experience with solid gameplay and options. Lots of character customization. Not much else to say. It's fun though still, imo, is not as good a Halo 2............................................. Regarding graphics and sound: graphics are fantastic. Best I've seen on xbox. The sound for some guns is great such as the DMR and sniper rifle. However on others it is totally horrendous such as the battle rifle............................... So overall a 6.5 as the campaign was an improvement but the lack of exploration/wonderment feeling, design mostly involving moving from one waypoint marker to the next, CG cutscenes used extensively, and the very weird, weak story really took away from the potential. The multiplayer is strong but I don't think it'll be something I keep going back to like Halo 2, a game I still find extremely satisfying. Personally recommend a rent.…Expand

This game has a great start which really sucks you in. The graphics and atmosfere are simply amazing. After a while though the level design gets a bit boring and repetetive. Also the lack of autosave prevents me from giving it a high a score. I had to replay to certain (difficult) parts multiple times because I did not save but turned off my Xbox (as I do with all games).

I was hoping this halo would get me back into the franchise, but its just more of the same. So if you are a halo fan you'll love it. But if your not, this probably won't change your mind. Still a solid game though.

I got my hands on the game and to start with everything impressed me, the controls felt really tight and the gameplay was fun and the element that I was up against the unknown really got my heart going, it was intense, then about half an hour into the game I noticed things not really building up to the same levels as the start, it all felt a bit bland and boring but not to say it's not funI got my hands on the game and to start with everything impressed me, the controls felt really tight and the gameplay was fun and the element that I was up against the unknown really got my heart going, it was intense, then about half an hour into the game I noticed things not really building up to the same levels as the start, it all felt a bit bland and boring but not to say it's not fun because it is. I think the hype got the better of me and I expected a 10/10 game and got a 6/10 game which is still considered "good" but not exactly great.

The graphics well... look at them, it's stunning and very vibrant. I knew they had put in lots of effort into the graphics because the animations were smooth apart from a few bits and pieces where the screen tears but other than that the visuals and graphics are top notch.

The game play well that's the thing that let me down the most, I do like the tight controls but the story and just how the story is handled is not that good. I really felt a bit let down after the first hour of playing. Hope it gets better but initial impressions are not good.

Multiplayer, not played it yet but fully intend on getting the most out of it, watched a friend playing it and it looks fun but won't judge it before I play it.…Expand

The Single-player took a great turn for 343 Industries, but the Multi-player is lacking a lot (Bolt shot is overpowered, most guns are basically shooting peas at the thing you're pointing at). Halo was suppose to be a good balance between Grenade, Melee, and Weapons. But 343 just throws that out the window and says "Hey, lets make the most unfair, most hated multi-player ever. That'll sureThe Single-player took a great turn for 343 Industries, but the Multi-player is lacking a lot (Bolt shot is overpowered, most guns are basically shooting peas at the thing you're pointing at). Halo was suppose to be a good balance between Grenade, Melee, and Weapons. But 343 just throws that out the window and says "Hey, lets make the most unfair, most hated multi-player ever. That'll sure show those people expecting a good game." I actually think Call of Duty has a better multi-player than Halo 4, and that says a lot.…Expand

I'm going to save my opinion on the whole 'necessity' to have a fourth installment of the Halo Franchise for a different time, as it is concurrently different from the opinion of the game in it's own context. Anyhow, before people start flagging my review down before their own sensibilities will bereft them from any kind of review that isn't a 9 or 10, I get why you guys like this game:I'm going to save my opinion on the whole 'necessity' to have a fourth installment of the Halo Franchise for a different time, as it is concurrently different from the opinion of the game in it's own context. Anyhow, before people start flagging my review down before their own sensibilities will bereft them from any kind of review that isn't a 9 or 10, I get why you guys like this game: It's got all this awesome lore to behold that any person with a pencil in hand will draw out soldier stories from the UNSC, I'm glad that you like all these visual graphics that have a huge scope on 'epic', but it's nothing to me. The graphics are just eye candy to hide all the uglier things about the game away. And the lore is only as important as you put your head into it, and if lore requires you to go into different mediums in order to understand anything, than you've failed at making a game worth of narrative, as is what this game does somewhat. Anyhow, as for the story, Master Chief and Cortana, after without any thought decided to go on into interstellar stasis for four years, come across an 'unknown' forerunner planet harvested by a new breed of alien to be feared (OOGA OOGA BOOGA) as the Promethians, which apart from their little surveyor drones and lights affixed like christmas ornaments around their body, work in AI almost the same way as the Covenant forces, meaning, bad. Enemies still go out in the daylight to greet your bullet barrel, which I would understand by the nature of the grunts, but the Elites? The Elites have been not only dumbed down but also lost a lot of their resilience to bullets, often being killable after their short-handed shields get depleted. Brutes are not present, for some reason, and the Promethein forces are not that variable, with nothing but "Knights", Surveyors and what I've been calling hell hounds, the little dog things that drop an infinite load of boltshots if you kill them, which usually takes one hit. Anyhow, for the weapons. A lot of the weapons from Reach and Halo 3 have returned in Halo 4, as you can now equip a DMR and Battle Rifle at the same time, including a touch of new weapons from all three forces, such as the Rail Gun, SAW, Storm Rifle and the famous Promethein weapons. The Promethein weapons are by far the best with the most stopping power and a neat little particle effect when you kill them (they distintegrate!). But other than the dialogue of the characters, which has seen a definite marked improvement, this game is colluded with a lot of confusing buzz words (composer, didact, forerunner, yadda yadda yah) and is not difficult in the slightest. Most of the time my friend and I got killed out of our own stupidity rather than by the difficulty curve (also, yet another QTE kill of the main boss). One small improvement is that the chief can now sprint (rather than being a 'pickable' ability), and some of the new abilities are much more helpful, such as a mobile drop shield and mini surveyor bot. And as I said, the graphic are pretty, but only serve to get you caught up in it so that they can mask away the aforementioned grievances above. I had my doubts about 343, but at least they didn't absolutely disgrace me with a pile of dog crap. They just gave me a rote, by the numbers game that attempts to pump more into it just to keep this aging franchise stagnant rather than dead.…Expand

Overall I thought the game was great. Gave a spectacular campaign, although the writing has changed a lot compared to the other Halo games. The visuals and graphics are astounding with dynamic shadows. The environments great. The only problem I saw with the game was the multiplayer. Some of the playlists are really disappointing. Such as Big Team which now only allows infinity slayer. IOverall I thought the game was great. Gave a spectacular campaign, although the writing has changed a lot compared to the other Halo games. The visuals and graphics are astounding with dynamic shadows. The environments great. The only problem I saw with the game was the multiplayer. Some of the playlists are really disappointing. Such as Big Team which now only allows infinity slayer. I would have personally liked it more if they didn't have Infinity slayer because of the overwhelming amount of power weapons held by the teams. There needs to be some playlist adjustments to add objective gametypes. Also the matchmaking is sad considering that you can now join games in mid session. Other than these issues the multiplayer is very smooth and plays like any other Halo game.…Expand

I'll start off by saying that for Halo, the multiplayer is the focus and the campaign is a nice addition. That said, I was pumped for Halo 4 and even pre-ordered it, which is the first time I have ever pre-ordered a game in my life. I got it and immediately went to playing multiplayer for a few days straight and all I can say is... I'm mixed.

There's a lot of good in it, but playing itI'll start off by saying that for Halo, the multiplayer is the focus and the campaign is a nice addition. That said, I was pumped for Halo 4 and even pre-ordered it, which is the first time I have ever pre-ordered a game in my life. I got it and immediately went to playing multiplayer for a few days straight and all I can say is... I'm mixed.

There's a lot of good in it, but playing it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. It's honestly like I'm playing another game reskinned with a Halo theme and Halo weapons thrown in. At first it was fun to customize load-outs and rank up, but it quickly became frustrating and obviously a sign of game imbalance and a direct shift away from encouraging skill to who has the best weapon. Not only that, but the weapons are frustratingly imbalanced - at the moment it seems like DMR > all, except for power weapons. The "ordnance drop" system is frustratingly terrible - often giving you useless, close combat weapons in an open range map or vice-versa. I honestly prefer the area control of weapon spawns of the older Halo games.

And don't get me started on the abilities. The one allows you to PICK UP GRENADES to resupply your used grenades. Seriously? Why can't my Spartan pick up grenades on the ground without having a perk that lets him do it? Ridiculous. Promethean vision seems to alter the game in a bad way that departs from the Halo feel...

Pacing also ruins me. I'm especially used to the pacing of Reach, but even though I'm more than willing to go to Halo 2 or 3's pacing, Halo 4 just seems way too fast. The instant respawn no doubt helps this, and the kill time does as well. It seems like everyone is constantly dying and respawning. There is little way to kill a group because of kill time. Shots seem way too accurate (DMR, specifically). It comes down to whoever starts shooting first anymore, rather than real skill.

The maps? Mediocre to poor. Valhalla seems to be the best, and even then it's rather shoddy. They're all easily forgotten, and lack all of the epic feel that some of the past Halo maps had. This is especially true for Big Team Slayer with the feel of a "huge map" completely gone, and even the bigger maps are crossed almost instantly by just running straight across them in seemingly seconds.

Spartan Ops - what were they thinking? The premise for it is great. Continuing, episodic story-driven maps. Sounds fun, but it's not at all. It's probably the most bland multiplayer experience I've had in a game in a really long time. There's no thought put into them, they're thrown together and completely a mess. It's more or less a watered-down, poor story-driven variant of Firefight that completely fails to even compete. I didn't even care that much for Firefight honestly, and can't believe how much less I enjoy this gametype.

I'm really disappointed, ultimately. I had really high hopes for this game and for 343, and I tried to force myself to love it like the past games, but I just come away with bitterness and mixed feelings. I'll leave it to others to review the campaign, as it's secondary to me, but the multiplayer is the lasting aspect of the Halo games that this particular installment is sadly lacking.…Expand

Whilst the campaign was short and linear compared to past Halo games, the story and emotional attachment was good. The multiplayer is sub-par, and very shallow. Taking cues from Call of Duty whilst still trying to make it it feel like Halo was a tough task and it wasn't a good mix. The graphics (the only really good thing about this) are great for its time, some of the best I've seen onWhilst the campaign was short and linear compared to past Halo games, the story and emotional attachment was good. The multiplayer is sub-par, and very shallow. Taking cues from Call of Duty whilst still trying to make it it feel like Halo was a tough task and it wasn't a good mix. The graphics (the only really good thing about this) are great for its time, some of the best I've seen on Xbox 360, although when you play split-screen with a buddy, the console really shows it's age, having to dial back on the graphics due to having to render the meshes & textures twice on some really old hardware. All in all, the multiplayer gets stale after a few hours of play, and campaign was solid but a tad bit on the short side. As a classic Halo fan, I am disappointed in this project, although some may like it, and it does have some strong aspects.…Expand

Halo needs to stay halo. It obvious doesn't work when COD and other fps features are put into it. 343 should know that reach was no received well with the core fan base but yet they took it further. This new game has no identity. It is in the middle of halo and other fps' and it just doesn't play well.

The campaign is very short. It is the shortest campaign of any halo game. Can easilyHalo needs to stay halo. It obvious doesn't work when COD and other fps features are put into it. 343 should know that reach was no received well with the core fan base but yet they took it further. This new game has no identity. It is in the middle of halo and other fps' and it just doesn't play well.

The campaign is very short. It is the shortest campaign of any halo game. Can easily beat the game on heroic in 5 hours which is unacceptable for this series. Every mission has been ripped from other halo games which shows no creativity. Example being the flying falcon mission from reach, only this time its a pelican you fly. The mission plays exactly the same just with a new coat of paint. Also each mission has you pushing a button 3 or 4 times.

Multiplayer is very unbalanced and is already being hacked by players with aim bot. The game requires no skill anymore. You no longer have to be good to rank up, as everybody will rank up just for playing. The game promotes the player who shoots first most of the time. WIth the glorious aim assist and the big hit boxes this game requires little to no skill.

Unfortunately halo is on its death bad. While trying to broaden the audience, the developers have lost what has made halo a cultural phenomenon. Unless they fix this the series will die out.…Expand

I wasn't really sure about how good Halo 4 was going to be a t first. To be honest, I expected it to flop. But after completing the campaign on Normal, and experiencing the multiplayer for a couple of hours, I have to admit that this is one of the best Halos ever made. It may not have the longest Halo campaign, but it has one of the most emotional ones. The bits of dialogue between MasterI wasn't really sure about how good Halo 4 was going to be a t first. To be honest, I expected it to flop. But after completing the campaign on Normal, and experiencing the multiplayer for a couple of hours, I have to admit that this is one of the best Halos ever made. It may not have the longest Halo campaign, but it has one of the most emotional ones. The bits of dialogue between Master Chief and Cortana are brillaint, from the script writing to the voice acting. There's a whole bunch of new, awesome weapons which all feel and sound really great. The multiplayer feels more fast paced than the previous titles and that only does it justice. I've really enjoyed my Halo 4 experience so far and I hope that Halo 5 turns out to be just as good, if not better.…Expand

Hard to decide whether i'm disappointed or not with this. Great music, the menu music just blows me away. Decent storyline, nice to see the Chief speaking a lot more, but the gameplay is just the same ol' stuff. Multiplayer is where it all goes horribly wrong. People have always compared other modern fps games with call of duty and for once they would be right to do so. The multiplayerHard to decide whether i'm disappointed or not with this. Great music, the menu music just blows me away. Decent storyline, nice to see the Chief speaking a lot more, but the gameplay is just the same ol' stuff. Multiplayer is where it all goes horribly wrong. People have always compared other modern fps games with call of duty and for once they would be right to do so. The multiplayer many of us have come to know and love has been warped almost to the point of being unrecognisable. Killcams, sprint (not just a perk), customisable loadouts. This may all sound like a great advancement, and some of it arguably is (players joining in a session is a welcome bonus!) but many of the changes really do ruin the flow of gameplay and most importantly ruin everything that Bungie worked so hard on refining. I would seriously reccommend caution if you're thinking about buying this.…Expand

Here we go, I'm gonna try and be as honest as I can about this. I am a Halo fan through and through. I have been playing since Halo CE. I've bought every Halo game there ever was (except Halo Wars). I was playing Halo 2 with friends at LAN parties with 4+ xboxes for hours on end. I have also been playing COD pretty extensively since COD 4 (Modern Warfare). I was tenth prestige in the firstHere we go, I'm gonna try and be as honest as I can about this. I am a Halo fan through and through. I have been playing since Halo CE. I've bought every Halo game there ever was (except Halo Wars). I was playing Halo 2 with friends at LAN parties with 4+ xboxes for hours on end. I have also been playing COD pretty extensively since COD 4 (Modern Warfare). I was tenth prestige in the first modern warfare and 7th prestige in the 2nd. Just giving my credentials in order to show that I have a pretty well formed opinion about Halo 4. Let's be honest, Halo 4 is Halo at it's core with a hefty amount of COD mechanics thrown in. Things brought to Halo 4 directly from COD: instant respawn, custom weapon loadouts, an experience and currency system wherein items are unlocked with XP, but have to be purchased with currency (taken from black ops), dynamic player joining (and no penalty for quitting), sprint as an inherent ability, "ordnance" (strike) packages (even two of them just like COD). Default controls for Halo 4 are the exact same as COD (left thumbstick click has been crouch for every single Halo except this one). The spinning UNSC banner hologram you see during loading screens is a direct copy of the loading screen in the modern warfare titles. This isn't conspiracy bullsh*t, it's blatant parallels between the games. Anyone who has played both Halo and COD will say that Halo 4 is a combination of the two, most likely to draw in players from both crowds in order to maximize profits for Microsoft. Finally (spoiler alert here) the final "boss" (bahahaha) is a supremely dissatisfying quicktime event, much like the endings of pretty much all of the call of duty games.

My problem with this? NO INNOVATION WHATSOEVER. Copied game mechanics, that's it, nothing more. So we get a compromised version of Halo, which used to be a competitive even playing field, but is now a cushy "everyone can have fun, even if you suck" title. I regret to say that I'm probably going to return (sell back to Gamestop for 1/10 the price) Halo 4, as I have no motivation to progress in it's multiplayer system, because I feel like I've played the same system 20 times over with the Call of Duty franchise.…Expand

343i has tried to infuse some 'Humanity' into the story & tell a more personal tale about Master Chief's relationship with Cortana, but Halo 4 fails to evoke any emotions. This is in no small part due to Steve Downes boring monotone voice acting as the Master Chief. e.g Master Chief and cortana are aboard a derelict spaceship being sucked into a giant artificial planet slaughtering Aliens343i has tried to infuse some 'Humanity' into the story & tell a more personal tale about Master Chief's relationship with Cortana, but Halo 4 fails to evoke any emotions. This is in no small part due to Steve Downes boring monotone voice acting as the Master Chief. e.g Master Chief and cortana are aboard a derelict spaceship being sucked into a giant artificial planet slaughtering Aliens and they're just casually talking back & forth like they're sat in the waiting room for a dentist appointment - it's literally comical!

The campaign also suffers from some atrocious level design. For example there's a part near the beginning of the campaign where you(the player) must climb up an elevator shaft avoiding falling debris. This could have been a sweat inducing, heart pounding moment, that is, if if weren't impossible to fail. There's also precious little else like in the campaign which only serves to give the impression that 343 weren't given the creative freedom to experiment. This is a shame because things like more platforming is exactly the kind of variety Halo needs.

Finally the "Spartan Ops" mode is just awful. Lazy 10 minute missions on recycled environments(without scoring by the way) is pathetic replacement for Firefight. Besides if there's already a 4 player Co-op campaign why is this mode even needed? What were the developers thinking?

Just a quick summary of the some of the biggest negatives as the 'professional' critics seem to be totally incapable of intelligently critiquing the products they are given.…Expand

It's good, but it's not the Halo that I'm used too. First off, the campaign is fast and keeps you wanting to play. But 343i added some parts to the campaign that really shouldn't be there, mostly surrounding the Chief (Character depth, a "friend", and that brown-noser Latsky) Second: There was a lot of good customization, minus the lack of emblems. (Not too happy I can't have the emblemIt's good, but it's not the Halo that I'm used too. First off, the campaign is fast and keeps you wanting to play. But 343i added some parts to the campaign that really shouldn't be there, mostly surrounding the Chief (Character depth, a "friend", and that brown-noser Latsky) Second: There was a lot of good customization, minus the lack of emblems. (Not too happy I can't have the emblem that I have had since Halo 2) Multiplayer: Fast, fun, thought I wouldn't like the supply drops, but they add a good element. Disappointed that you need a certain trait to pic up ammo (Not to mention once you run out of ammo with your gun you're kinda screwed.)

Overall it's a good game, but if you're used to the Halo made by Bungie, this is going to feel different.…Expand

They didn't really do anything to improve upon the Halo Universe - same (for the most part) weapons, vehicles, etc. The campaign was much more repetitive than any other Halo and the story was not very good (why can't these big game companies find decent writers??). Lots of button pushing, and inconsistencies with the space (for instance, you land on a "tower" which is maybe 200 yardsThey didn't really do anything to improve upon the Halo Universe - same (for the most part) weapons, vehicles, etc. The campaign was much more repetitive than any other Halo and the story was not very good (why can't these big game companies find decent writers??). Lots of button pushing, and inconsistencies with the space (for instance, you land on a "tower" which is maybe 200 yards wide, but the interior of it is about a mile deep... Not very well thought-out. Very small, annoying missions (lots of "activations" or "deactivations" at the end of each mission), which remind me of some of the more boring games out there - if it had not been Halo characters I truly believe this game would have gotten much worse critics' reviews.…Collapse

The narrative is outstanding, even in spite of a few plot-point missteps, and the character evolution of Master Chief and Cortana deserves to be further explored with these wonderful storytellers (well, maybe one of them can't happen, but I'll avoid spoilers). However, the gameplay feels jilted, awkward and unrefined, three unforgivable sins in a landscape populated with other quite-capable FPS franchises. As a result, I'm going to average everything out: great story plus bad gameplay equals an average experience. And in this overcrowded FPS genre, "average" is isn't something I'd recommend buying.